Noam Chomsky’s reputation as one of the most influential left-wing thinkers of the 20th century is in crisis after it emerged that emails between the 97-year-old and the late s– offender Jeffrey Epstein showed the linguist expressing sympathy for the disgraced financier months before Epstein’s death.
RadarOnline.com can reveal Chomsky, who is now said to be “severely incapacitated” following a stroke, is facing renewed scrutiny over his contact with Epstein after newly released documents from The U.S. Department of Justice revealed exchanges critics say “destroy” his moral standing among progressives.
Leaked Emails Reveal Chomsky’s Correspondence With Epstein
Noam Chomsky exchanged emails with Jeffrey Epstein in 2019.’
The emails, written in 2019, included one in which Epstein sought Chomsky’s advice on how to “handle my putrid press” and Chomsky lamented “the horrible way” Epstein had been treated, blaming what he described as “the hysteria that has developed about abuse of women.”
Although there is no suggestion Chomsky engaged in criminal behavior, the revelations have generated widespread backlash across academic and political communities.
One academic source said: “It’s heartbreaking to watch the erosion of what Noam represented. For decades, he was the conscience of the intellectual left. But the Epstein connection is a stain that can’t easily be erased. It risks leaving his grand legacy in tatters.”
Valéria Chomsky Addresses Misjudgment and Epstein Connection
Chomsky expressed sympathy for Epstein in private messages.
Chomsky, a former professor of linguistics at MIT and author of more than 100 books on politics, language, and media, had previously downplayed the association.
When asked in 2023 about his meetings with Epstein, he replied: “None of your business.”
Those remarks, once dismissed as cantankerous reticence, have now been revisited in light of the newly disclosed correspondence.
Valéria Chomsky, Noam’s wife, has issued a statement over the weekend acknowledging her husband’s misjudgment. “Noam’s overly trusting nature, in this specific case, led to severe poor judgment on both our parts,” she said.
However, she has been criticized for describing Epstein’s conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor in 2008 as being “known by very few people.”
A legal scholar familiar with the case said: “It’s absurd to suggest ignorance. Epstein’s crimes were internationally reported. For someone of Chomsky’s intellect, that defense rings hollow.”
The Impact on Noam Chomsky’s Intellectual Legacy
Massachusetts Institute of Technology previously employed Chomsky as a professor.
The fallout has reopened debate about the responsibilities of public intellectuals when engaging with ethically compromised figures.
One political historian told us: “Chomsky’s influence was immense – his theories shaped not just linguistics but political activism. The tragedy is that he built an empire on moral critique, only to fall to moral blindness.”
Chomsky’s career has long been marked by controversy. His critiques of U.S. foreign policy made him a hero to anti-war movements while alienating mainstream academics.
Admirers point to his groundbreaking theory that language is an innate human faculty, changing cognitive science forever.
But critics, including the late Christopher Hitchens, accused him of excusing tyrannical regimes by opposing Western intervention, famously remarking Chomsky’s “regard for the underdog has mutated into support for mad dogs.”
Public Outrage Follows Unsealed Justice Department Documents
The controversy cast a shadow over Chomsky’s legacy.
The Epstein documents – part of a huge trove unsealed by the U.S. Department of Justice – also listed other prominent figures, including businessman Peter Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Duke of York.
Their interactions with Epstein have likewise drawn public condemnation and outrage. For many, however, Chomsky’s inclusion hits differently.
One former student said: “If Chomsky could be drawn into Epstein’s circle, no one’s moral purity is beyond question.”
Supporters maintain the ailing academic’s contributions to linguistic theory should not be overshadowed by what his wife called a “tragic lapse in judgment.”
But as the near 100-year-old lies in recovery, even his closest admirers admit a lifetime of radical credibility may now be beyond repair.
