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Martin Shkreli, reviled pharma exec, calls Congress 'imbeciles' after taking the Fifth

The Wrap

February 5, 2016 at 12:43AM

Pharmaceutical chief Martin Shkreli arrives on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 4, 2016, to appear before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform Committee hearing on his former company's decision to raise the price of a lifesaving medicine. Shkreli refused to testify before U.S. lawmakers who excoriated him over severe hikes for a drug sold by a company that he acquired. (Colleen Kelly — Associated Press/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Much-despised drug CEO Martin Shkreli smirked and laughed at members of Congress while refusing to answer their questions Thursday, later calling them "imbeciles."

Shkreli vented his dislike on Twitter after refusing to testify before a House Committee about his infamous decision to increase the price of a lifesaving drug by 5,000 percent. He invoked his Fifth Amendment right to avoid self-incrimination, and smirked and laughed at representatives who wanted to question him.

"I don't think I've ever seen the committee treated with such contempt," Representative John Mica, a Florida Republican, said after Shkreli left the room, according to The New York Times.

As CEO of Turing, the 32-year-old drew international outrage by raising the price of Daraprim, which helps treat malaria and HIV, from $13.50 to $750 per pill.

Separately, Shkreli was arrested on fraud charges related to his time as a hedge fund manager and as head of his former company, Retrophin.

See his tweets below:

Read original story Martin Shkreli, Hated Pharma Exec, Calls Congress 'Imbeciles' After Taking the Fifth At TheWrap