Noam Chomsky Called Exchanges With Epstein "Valuable," New Emails Show

Noam Chomsky's long-questioned association with Jeffrey Epstein is again under scrutiny after congressional emails revealed the 96-year-old philosopher lauding his interactions with the convicted sex offender as “a most valuable experience.”

The emails, released on November 12 by Republican members of the US House oversight committee, show Chomsky describing years of “regular contact” with Epstein, whose 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor and subsequent notoriety were long public.

Among the documents is an undated letter of support attributed to Chomsky, bearing his typed signature and identifying him as a laureate professor at the University of Arizona, a post he assumed in 2017.

In it, Chomsky writes that he and Epstein engaged in “many long and often in-depth discussions about a very wide range of topics,” adding, “It has been a most valuable experience for me.” The letter praises Epstein for explaining the workings of the global financial system “in a way the business press and professional journals” had not and highlights his extensive network of contacts, The Guardian reported.

One example cited in the letter recalls a discussion on the Oslo accords during which Epstein “picked up the phone and called the Norwegian diplomat who supervised them,” triggering a “lively interchange.”

Chomsky also said that Epstein arranged a meeting for him with former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak, whom he studied and wrote about. Epstein, the letter adds, attempted “with limited success” to introduce Chomsky's wife, Valeria, to jazz.

The trove of documents also shows Epstein offering Chomsky the use of his homes in New York and New Mexico in 2015. The emails do not clarify whether Chomsky accepted the offer.

Chomsky previously acknowledged receiving about $270,000 from an account linked to Epstein while resolving the distribution of shared funds from his first marriage, though he has insisted that not “one penny” came directly from Epstein.

One email released by House Republicans shows Chomsky's wife writing to Epstein in 2017 to apologise for missing his birthday and hoping 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 intensified in recent months, fuelled in part by Donald Trump's 2024 campaign pledge to disclose what he claimed would be a full list of Epstein's clients.

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

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