Editorial, Opinion

EDITORIAL: Martin Shkreli pleads Fifth, still annoys

Pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli testified in front of Congress Thursday, invoking the Fifth Amendment on almost every question, NPR reported. The only question he did answer was about the pronunciation of his name.

Shkreli, also facing federal fraud charges, was called into a congressional hearing to speak about how he raised the price of a life-saving drug used to treat AIDS and toxoplasmosis by 5,000 percent. Under Shkreli’s orders, the company Turing Pharmaceuticals raised the price of Daraprim to $750 per pill.

When asked about on his motive, Shkreli smirked and repeatedly told Congress, “On the advice of counsel, I invoke my Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination, and respectfully decline to answer your question.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen the committee treated with such contempt,” Florida Rep. John Mica said during the hearing.

After the hearing, Shkreli’s lawyer Ben Brafman said, ”Mr. Shkreli did not intend to show any disrespect … what you saw was nervous energy,” CNBC reported.

As annoying as Shkreli is, nobody in that hearing had a right to throw around criticism to making health care even more unavailable. Congress has done very little in the way of health care reform these past few years. It’s one to talk.

Right now, quality health care is turning into something that only those with money have a right to. Congress has the power to change this. Instead, it wasted its time questioning someone who refuses to speak.

Shkreli took to Twitter to call Congress “imbeciles” after the hearing. Though this was fair, it just shows that Shkreli’s privilege is impeding on his ability to respect authority. Everyone’s allowed to criticize Congress. A lot of people even do on a daily basis. We live in nation where our freedom of speech is revered. But if Shkreli was unhappy, he should’ve voiced it in a more eloquent way.

Shkreli’s repeated use of the Fifth Amendment may be infuriating, but he’s completely within his bounds do so. Shkreli is technically allowed to plead the Fifth until he dies, which may not be too far in the future, considering the way the public is talking about him.

It would have been nice if his conscience had kicked in and allowed him to comment on anything, but apparently the only thing worth confirming was his name.

Instead of constantly pleading the Fifth, Shkreli could’ve pointed out Congress’s deficiencies in passing beneficial health care legislation. But alas, Shkreli isn’t that mature.

The average person struggles to sympathize with this guy. He’s a multi-millionaire who has so much money that he never has to be nice to anyone. No one will sympathize with Shkreli when he’s that rude.

Insulting Congress after being under such scrutiny is not a smart move on Shkreli’s part. If you Google Image search “most hated man in America,” the first thing that comes up is Martin Shkreli’s picture. Obviously, establishing a positive public image is not his priority.

From a business standpoint, he can do whatever he wants. From a humanist standpoint, he should have a heart. If increasing the price of Daraprim came from a morally good place, then Shkreli would have nothing to lose by speaking in front of Congress.

Shkreli is a businessperson. Unfortunately, he puts too much emphasis on his business and not enough on him as a person. Running a business is one thing, but governing someone’s health is another.

CEOs make horrible decisions every day, but nobody has captured the public’s hatred as much as this young, smirking man with a punch-able face.

Shkreli thinks his life is a game, but the only losers are the people who will have to live — or die — without Daraprim. And just like those patients, he may live or die by his new fame.

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