A newly disclosed letter attributed to the left-wing academic Noam Chomsky is now reportedly drawing attention after the House Oversight Committee’s release of an additional 20,000 pages of documents from Jeffrey Epstein’s estate. In the letter, Chomsky, now 96, appears to praise Epstein’s intellect and describes their exchanges as personally meaningful — remarks that cast fresh scrutiny on the longtime critic of American foreign policy.
The correspondence, made public on Nov. 12, depicts Chomsky referring to Epstein’s “penetrating insights” and commending what he describes as Epstein’s “curiosity” and “extensive knowledge.” In the same document, Chomsky appears to characterize the disgraced financier as a “regular source” of “stimulation.”
“I met Jeffrey Epstein half a dozen years ago,” the letter reads. “We have been in regular contact since, with many long and often in-depth discussions about a very wide range of topics, including our own specialties and professional work, but a host of others where we have shared interests. It has been a most valuable experience for me.”
Chomsky allegedly continued by describing Epstein’s influence in notably generous terms. “The impact of Jeffrey’s limitless curiosity, extensive knowledge, penetrating insights, and thoughtful appraisals is only heightened by his easy informality, without a trace of pretentiousness,” he wrote. “He quickly became a highly valued friend and regular source of intellectual exchange and stimulation.”
Documents released by lawmakers last week also suggest that Chomsky remained in communication with Epstein even after the financier pleaded guilty in June 2008 to soliciting prostitution from a minor under 18. The nature of the continued contact is not described in the records, though it extends into years when Epstein’s criminal past was well known publicly.
Chomsky, widely regarded as a foundational figure in modern linguistics, joined the University of Arizona in 2017 after serving on the faculty of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology since 1955. He suffered a “massive” stroke in June 2023 and was recovering in Brazil as of mid-2024, according to reporting from Time.
Epstein had arranged several meetings with Chomsky in 2015 and 2016 while Chomsky was still at MIT, The Wall Street Journal reported in April 2023. When asked about that relationship, Chomsky told the outlet by email, “First response is that it is none of your business. Or anyone’s. Second is that I knew him and we met occasionally.”
Chomsky has long commanded admiration in progressive circles. Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont wrote in June 2024 that Chomsky is “one of the most important and ground-breaking intellectuals of the last century,” crediting him with helping “millions of people to better understand the oligarchic world in which we live.” In a 2021 interview alongside Chomsky, Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York called it “such an honor and a culminating moment to be able to engage” with him.
Throughout his career, Chomsky has promoted libertarian socialism and has been a prominent critic of U.S. policy abroad. The newly revealed correspondence adds another, more complicated chapter to the public record of a figure long celebrated on the political left.
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