Noam Chomsky betrayed everything he ever stood for in his friendship with Epstein

The wealthy, high-profile contacts of late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein surprises no one. From one US president to another, billionaires to yet more billionaires, Israeli war criminals to British politicians, and transatlantic fascists to royalty. However, Epstein’s close friendship with Noam Chomsky is one that will be both notable and appalling for leftists. 

What we know about Chomsky’s relationship with Epstein

For decades, Chomsky railed against US imperialism, and its propping up of a settler-colonial system, “worse than apartheid” in occupied Palestine.

He exposed the hypocrisy of Western media propaganda and called out its cynical smears against progressive movements.

Chomsky’s political positions might make you think he’d never socialise with convicted paedophile Epstein. But, the close friendship between the two is abhorrently apparent.  

Chomsky maintained a very “close friendship” with Epstein even after the latter’s imprisonment in 2008. And the academic’s support for free speech and the fact he has unapologetically “met and corresponded with everyone” — including war criminals — does not explain the level of warmth in their interactions.

Chomsky once said his dealings with Epstein were mostly financial. But new communications releases show that:

• The two spoke about dinner and holiday plans, while sharing jokes and affectionate exchanges.
• Epstein served as a social and political connector, linking Chomsky up with prominent far-right figure Steve Bannon and Israeli war criminal Ehud Barak.
• Epstein made numerous payments to Chomsky and his relatives. Chomsky’s wife called Epstein a “very dear friend”, and even a “hero” at one point.
• While there’s no evidence he went to Epstein’s island, Chomsky insisted he was “eager” to. And in one response to an invitation, he said “I’m really fantasizing about the Caribbean island”.
• Chomsky gave Epstein advice in 2019 about how to deal with the sex-crime allegations against him. His response downplayed the accusations and treated Epstein like the victim. Chomsky described “a hysteria that has developed about abuse of women” that could cause “torture and distress” to someone like Epstein.

Countless academics needed money and linked up with Epstein for financial reasons. The serial rapist, on the other hand, collected connections in exchange for information or favours. For his part, Epstein was a white supremacist eugenicist who ran a network of groomers, paedophiles, and rapists. Amongst that network were people like Chomsky, academics who legitimised Epstein’s sickening actions.

Chomsky repeatedly and consistently chose to not only ally himself with Epstein but considered him a close personal friend whom he often defended despite public knowledge of his depravity. In doing so, Chomsky chose to spin heinous lies about the women and girls Epstein tortured. 

And, Chomsky didn’t just look the other way on Epstein.

Fellow academic Lawrence Krauss also faced accusations from numerous women, asked Epstein for advice on how to deal with them. He said he would trust Epstein’s words over those of the women accusing the multi-millionaire. Chomsky, meanwhile, continued to appear publicly with Krauss despite the allegations against him.

“Unforgivable”

Journalist Matt Kennard, who has interviewed Chomsky on numerous occasions, responded to the latest revelations by saying the academic’s:

consorting with Epstein is unforgivable

Philosopher Émile Torres added:

Chomsky has shown a clear pattern of poor judgment and low moral standards.

Author Vijay Prashad, meanwhile, said:

There is no defence for this, in my view, no context that can explain this outrage.

He also clarified that, in addition to Epstein being a sex offender, he:

was a man of the Far Right and a Zionist

Epstein’s connection with Israel is clear, though we don’t know all the details. It’s not just that the father of his accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell, was reportedly an Israeli “superspy“. Numerous sources highlight his own apparent connections to Israel and its intelligence agency too.

Epstein’s work in the arms trade reportedly saw him work with numerous governments. And he often bragged about how he advised dodgy regimes around the world, while:

making a fortune out of arms, drugs, and diamonds.

Epstein represented much of what Chomsky spent much of his public-facing life criticising. His long-time association will forever change any reputation he may have had as a serious academic opposed to injustice to one of someone who upheld and supported the rape, abuse, and terrible torture of girls and women. 

After all, what is the point of grand declarations in relation to capitalism, colonialism, and Zionism if one’s choices repeatedly support and protect an overseer of a network of abuse?

Featured image via the Canary