Newly disclosed correspondence has shed fresh light on the relationship between the eminent linguist and philosopher Noam Chomsky and the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. The documents, released earlier this month by Republican members of the US House oversight committee, suggest that Chomsky’s association with Epstein was closer than previously acknowledged.
Epstein, who was convicted in 2008 of soliciting prostitution and soliciting prostitution from a minor, served 13 months of an 18‑month sentence before his release in 2009. He later faced federal sex‑trafficking charges and was found dead in his New York prison cell in 2019, with officials ruling his death a suicide. Despite his criminal record, Epstein maintained ties with numerous figures in politics, academia and business, including Chomsky, former US treasury secretary Larry Summers, and Steve Bannon, a close ally of Donald Trump.
Among the most striking revelations is a letter attributed to Chomsky, addressed “to whom it may concern”. Though undated, the letter bears Chomsky’s typed signature and cites his position as a laureate professor at the University of Arizona, a role he assumed in 2017. In it, Chomsky describes his contact with Epstein as “a most valuable experience”, praising the financier’s “limitless curiosity, extensive knowledge, penetrating insights and thoughtful appraisals”.
Chomsky wrote that he had met Epstein “half a dozen years ago” and had since engaged in “many long and often in‑depth discussions” on a wide range of subjects. He credited Epstein with teaching him about the global financial system in ways that “the business press and professional journals” had not managed. The letter also recounted Epstein’s ability to connect Chomsky with influential figures, including a Norwegian diplomat involved in the Oslo accords and former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak.
The correspondence further revealed Epstein’s attempts to introduce Chomsky, through his wife Valeria Wasserman, to jazz music. Chomsky described Epstein as a “highly valued friend and regular source of intellectual exchange and stimulation”.
Other communications included a 2015 email in which Epstein offered Chomsky the use of his residences in New York and New Mexico. It remains unclear whether Chomsky accepted the offer. Epstein’s New Mexico ranch has been the subject of investigations into alleged crimes committed there.
Chomsky, now 96, has also reportedly acknowledged receiving approximately $270,000 from an account linked to Epstein while managing financial arrangements related to his first marriage. He has insisted that not “one penny” came directly from Epstein himself.
The release of these emails comes amid renewed political interest in the Epstein case. During his successful 2024 presidential campaign, Trump pledged to publish a full list of Epstein’s clients. However, after assuming office in January, his justice department declared that no such list existed and refused to release further files, prompting bipartisan criticism. Under mounting pressure, Trump signed legislation last week directing the department to disclose more of what have become known as the Epstein files.
Chomsky is not the only academic figure to face scrutiny. Summers, who served as president of Harvard University, relinquished a teaching role at the institution on Wednesday following renewed questions about his correspondence with Epstein.
MIT, where Chomsky taught for decades, declined to comment directly on his case but noted that it had reviewed its own ties to Epstein in 2020. The university stated that it had since strengthened its gift acceptance procedures and donated to organisations supporting survivors of sexual abuse. The University of Arizona did not respond to requests for comment.
Neither Chomsky nor his wife has publicly addressed the latest disclosures. However, one of the emails released by lawmakers shows Valeria Wasserman writing to Epstein in January 2017 to apologise for missing his birthday. “Hope you had a good celebration!” she wrote. “Noam and I hope to see you again soon and have a toast for your birthday.”
The revelations are likely to intensify debate over the extent of Epstein’s influence and the willingness of prominent figures to maintain ties with him despite his criminal record. For Chomsky, long regarded as one of the world’s foremost intellectuals, the disclosures raise uncomfortable questions about judgement and association.
