Newly released emails show that longtime MIT professor and progressive activist Noam Chomsky maintained a close friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein long after the financier's 2008 conviction, a revelation fueling new scrutiny of academia's cozy relationships with disgraced elites.
The emails, released by the U.S. House Oversight Committee and reviewed by WBUR, reveal that Chomsky remained in regular contact with Epstein into at least 2017.
Epstein was convicted in 2008 for procuring a minor for prostitution and soliciting a prostitute.
Despite that, Chomsky exchanged warm personal messages with the disgraced financier and even appears to have drafted a glowing letter of support.
The letter, addressed "To whom it may concern," praises Epstein as a "highly valued friend" with "limitless curiosity" and "penetrating insights," and recounts how Epstein could casually summon world leaders, including former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.
Chomsky wrote that he and Epstein had "many long and often in-depth discussions," and noted that Epstein once phoned a top Norwegian diplomat during a conversation about the Oslo Accords.
The letter was likely written in 2017 or later, after Chomsky took a position at the University of Arizona.
WBUR also reviewed emails showing Chomsky's wife, Valeria, maintained extensive communication with Epstein.
In one message, she apologized for missing Epstein's birthday and said she and Chomsky hoped to "have a toast" with him soon.
Another Epstein email casually offered Chomsky the use of his New York apartment or an invitation to visit him in New Mexico.
Epstein owned the notorious Zorro Ranch, where he allegedly abused minors. New Mexico lawmakers recently requested $2.5 million to launch a "truth commission" investigating crimes tied to the compound.
MIT offered no comment on Chomsky's correspondence, saying only that the school revamped its gift-acceptance rules after a 2020 internal review of its own Epstein ties.
Chomsky is not the only prominent academic now facing backlash.
Newsmax emailed Valeria Chomsky, who is her husband's official spokesperson, for comment.
Former Treasury Secretary and ex-Harvard President Larry Summers abruptly took leave from Harvard this week after it was reported he continued exchanging warm, personal emails with Epstein years after the financier's conviction.
Summers also severed relationships with multiple organizations amid intensifying criticism.
Emails show Epstein even advised Summers on romantic matters, joking, "im a pretty good wing man, no?"
Summers' wife also communicated with Epstein, thanking him for arranging financial support for her poetry project.
Harvard previously found Epstein visited campus more than 40 times after his conviction and was given office access to a research center he helped fund.
The new revelations renew questions about why elite institutions, many on the political left, continued embracing Epstein well after his crimes were known.
Lawmakers say the documents reveal a disturbing willingness among prominent figures to overlook sex-trafficking allegations in exchange for money, influence, or access.
The Oversight Committee is expected to continue releasing additional records detailing Epstein's network and the cultural, political, and academic leaders who stayed close to him despite mounting evidence of wrongdoing.
Newsmax Wires contributed this report.
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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