Former drug company CEO and recently convicted felon Martin Shkreli is apologizing for putting a $5,000 bounty on Hillary Clinton’s hair.
“I wanted to personally apologize to this Court and my lawyers for the aggravation that my recent postings have caused,” Shkreli wrote in a letter filed with the court and addressed Monday to the judge overseeing his case.
“I understand now, that some may have read my comments about Mrs. Clinton as threatening, when that was never my intention when making those comments. I used poor judgment but never intended to cause alarm or promote any act of violence whatsoever,” he continued, urging the judge not to have his bail release reconsidered.
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Shkreli came under fire last week after offering a $5,000 reward to anyone who successfully grabbed a sample of hair from the former Democratic presidential candidate while touring to promote her new book — but only promising to pay if the “sequence matches.”
“The Clinton Foundation is willing to KILL to protect its secrets,” Shrekli wrote in a since-deleted Facebook post.
“So on [Hillary Clinton’s] book tour, try to grab a hair from her. I must confirm the sequences I have. Will pay $5,000 per hair obtained from Hillary Clinton. Payment after the sequence matches. Good luck, patrollers,” he wrote, referring to DNA sequences.
News of Shkreli’s apology lands on the same day the former secretary of State kicked off the tour to promote her new book, “What Happened,” in which she shares her perspective of events during the 2016 presidential race.
Shkreli maintains that he never thought his post would be viewed as a call to inflict violence against Clinton.
“It never occurred to me that my awkward attempt at humor or satire would cause Mrs. Clinton or the Secret Service any distress,” Shkreli said in his letter, adding that he is “not a violent person.”
The former CEO of Turing Pharmaceutical was found guilty last month on three counts of deceiving investors in hedge funds and faces up to 20 years in prison. Shkreli said he plans to challenge his conviction.
Shkreli gained notoriety after hiking the price of a life-saving drug treatment that is mostly used by AIDS and cancer patients.