Newly Released Emails Reveal Noam Chomsky's "Valuable" Relationship with Jeffrey Epstein

Jeffrey Epstein and Noam Chomsky.

Congressional emails recently released have brought renewed attention to Noam Chomsky's connection with Jeffrey Epstein, revealing that the 96-year-old philosopher described his interactions with the convicted sex offender as "a most valuable experience."

On November 12, Republican members of the US House oversight committee released emails showing Chomsky detailing "regular contact" with Epstein, despite Epstein's 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor being public knowledge.

The documents include an undated letter of support attributed to Chomsky, featuring his typed signature and identifying him as a laureate professor at the University of Arizona, a position he began in 2017.

In this letter, Chomsky writes about engaging in "many long and often in-depth discussions about a very wide range of topics" with Epstein, stating, "It has been a most valuable experience for me." The philosopher praised Epstein for explaining global financial system operations "in a way the business press and professional journals" had not, while also highlighting Epstein's extensive network of contacts, according to The Guardian.

One notable example in the letter describes a discussion about the Oslo accords during which Epstein "picked up the phone and called the Norwegian diplomat who supervised them," leading to a "lively interchange."

Chomsky also mentioned that Epstein arranged a meeting between him and former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak, whom Chomsky had studied and written about. The letter notes that Epstein attempted "with limited success" to introduce Chomsky's wife, Valeria, to jazz.

The released documents also reveal Epstein offering Chomsky the use of his properties in New York and New Mexico in 2015, though the emails do not indicate whether Chomsky accepted this offer.

Previously, Chomsky acknowledged receiving approximately $270,000 from an account connected to Epstein while resolving shared funds from his first marriage, though he has maintained that not "one penny" came directly from Epstein.

Among the emails released by House Republicans is one from Chomsky's wife to Epstein in 2017, apologizing for missing his birthday and expressing hope that she and Chomsky would see him again soon.

Epstein died by suicide in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges. Interest in his network of associates has increased recently, partly due to Donald Trump's 2024 campaign promise to release what he claimed would be a complete list of Epstein's clients.

After taking office, Trump's Justice Department stated that no such list existed and declined to release additional Epstein-related files. On Wednesday, Trump signed legislation directing the department to make more documents public.

As of 2024, Chomsky was reportedly recovering from a stroke in Brazil.