Thousands of pages of court records reveal details that point to a much more intimate relationship, including Chomsky’s reflections on his stay on the Caribbean island, as well as advice he gave Epstein on how to deal with negative publicity, according to the documents, years after Epstein’s first conviction for sex offenses, The Guardian reported.
For decades, Chomsky was known as one of the most influential intellectuals of the American left, especially as a sharp critic of American foreign policy and contemporary capitalism. However, the information that emerged from Epstein’s files seriously damaged his reputation in those circles.
The documents, released last Friday as a follow-up to earlier disclosures, contain no evidence that Chomsky referred to Epstein’s private Caribbean island, which later became a symbol of child sexual abuse. Nevertheless, the correspondence clearly indicates a personal closeness between the two men.
Some of the communications concerned financial matters, including Chomsky’s request to Epstein for advice regarding a dispute with children from his first marriage over money and the purchase of an apartment. However, other e-mails also reveal arrangements for gatherings and meetings.
After the 2016 meeting, Epstein wrote to Chomsky that, as always, he enjoyed the conversation, inviting him to New York or the Caribbean. Chomsky replied that his wife Valeria would like to come to New York, while he himself stated that he fantasized about a Caribbean island. At one point, Valeria Chomsky arranged for Epstein’s associate to send a check for $20,000 to help with administrative work related to the linguistics project.
According to the documents, Epstein opened doors for Chomsky and other influential people. So Chomsky in one correspondence contacted Steve Bannon, then the chief strategist of the White House during the first term of Donald Trump, stating that Epstein had given him his contact and that they had many topics to talk about.
In another communication, Epstein and Chomsky arranged a dinner in New York, noting that Alleni might join them. Although the names were not specified, other documents indicate that they were director Woody Allen and his wife Soon Yi Previn, who were supposed to receive 23andMe genetic testing kits at the time.
A few months later, in the spring of 2017, Epstein’s partner at the time, Karyna Shuliak, arranged for the same kits to be sent to Chomsky and his wife, as a gift from Epstein.
An e-mail from February 2019 in which Epstein forwards advice to an associate, which he claims originated from Chomsky, and which concerns the attitude towards bad treatment in the media and the public, attracted special attention. The message was sent 11 years after Epstein’s guilty plea to pimping a minor and just months before his death in prison while awaiting trial for human trafficking.
According to the text, the advice was to ignore the negative publicity, with the claim that the public hysteria surrounding the abuse of women had reached a level where even questioning the accusations had become socially unacceptable. It is also stated that such a mood will weaken over time, although not before it causes a lot of problems. Neither Chomsky nor his wife responded to inquiries about the authenticity of this correspondence.
Interest in Epstein’s case rose again after Donald Trump promised to release a full list of Epstein’s clients during the 2024 presidential campaign. Upon taking office in 2025, the Ministry of Justice announced that such a list does not exist.
Under public pressure, Trump then signed a law ordering the release of additional documents related to the case. In July 2019, Epstein was charged with human trafficking for sexual exploitation, while his associate Ghislaine Maxwell was later sentenced to 20 years in prison.
In August 2019, authorities announced that Epstein, 66, had committed suicide in a federal prison. Chomsky, who turned 97 in December, is a professor emeritus at MIT and has been on unpaid medical leave from the University of Arizona since October 2023.
(Vijesti.ba)
