The 5 most absurd moments of pharma bro Martin Shkreli's useless Congressional testimony
Martin Shkreli shocked the business world on Thursday by apologizing to the U.S. Congress for hiking the price of a crucial AIDS drug and trolling law enforcement, promising to turn over a new leaf.
Just kidding.
Shkreli, everyone's favorite pharmaceutical bro and deafening online presence, made a tense appearance on Capitol Hill during which he silently smirked and yawned as members of the House of Representatives castigated him, only to plead the fifth to nearly all of their questions.
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His visit, arranged as part of a House Committee on Oversight and Reform hearing on escalating drug prices featuring multiple pharmaceutical executives, was cut short as the stunned and frustrated committee sharply criticized his silent treatment and asked him to leave. Moments later, he re-discovered his sharp tongue and began tweeting criticisms back.
From start to finish, the appearance felt less like discourse and more like performance art -- on both sides.
What's so funny, Martin?
Even before Shkreli was asked to respond to a single question, he managed to infuriate the panel of legislators by grinning during an impassioned speech from Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) on the human cost of raising drug prices.
"It's not funny, Mr. Shkreli," Cummings said, interrupting his own remarks. "People are dying and they're getting sicker."
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Who-Tang?
In an attempt to convince Shkreli to start talking -- about anything, anything at all -- Congress members asked him to confirm the pronunciation of his name, pushed him to re-think his decision to plead the fifth and, at one point, even asked about that album.
"We can even talk about the purchase of, is it Wu-Tang Clan? Is that the name of the album, the name of the group?" Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) asked at one point in the hearing.
Shkreli paused while his lawyer leaned over his shoulder and whispered in his ear.
"On the advice of counsel," Shkreli began again, to the amazement of Congress, "i invoke my fifth amendment privilege against self-incrimination and respectfully decline to answer your question."
"Mr. Chairman," Gowdy responded, "I am stunned that a conversation about an album he purchased could possibly subject him to incrimination."
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Don't try to change me bro
At another point, Rep. Cummings tried and failed to appeal to Shkreli's better nature.
"I know you’re smiling, but I’m very serious, sir. The way I see it is you can go down in history as the poster boy for greedy drug company executives, or you can change the system. Yeah, you," Cummings said. "I truly believe. I truly believe... Are you listening?"
"Yes," Shkreli replied, then resumed his quiet scoffing and visible contempt.
Congress to Shkreli: SMDH
One Congressman was so infuriated by Shkreli's refusal to cooperate that he threatened to hold the exec in contempt of Congress. Shkreli seemed unimpressed.
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Whoops wrong car!
You know when you rush out of a bad party only to mistake the bathroom door for the exit? Yeah...
That one was so good that Shkreli mocked it himself with the hashtag #smooth.
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Did we mention his lawyer?
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Back to trolling
After refusing time and again to answer questions, Shkreli left and began tweeting and re-tweeting fans and praise again minutes later.
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He came. He saw. He trolled.
Watch a supercut of the best parts in this Mashable video.
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Seth Fiegerman was a Senior Business Reporter at Mashable, where he covered startups, marketing and the latest consumer tech trends. He joined Mashable in August 2012 and is based in New York.Before joining Mashable, Seth covered all things Apple as a reporter at Silicon Alley Insider, the tech section of Business Insider. He has also worked as a staff writer at TheStreet.com and as an editor at Playboy Magazine. His work has appeared in Newsweek, NPR, Kiplinger, Portfolio and The Huffington Post.Seth received his Bachelor of Arts from New York University, where he majored in journalism and philosophy.In his spare time, Seth enjoys bike riding around Brooklyn and writing really bad folk songs.
