Noam Chomsky and his wife, Valeria, made a “grave mistake” and were “careless” not to thoroughly research the background of Jeffrey Epstein, Valeria Chomsky said in a lengthy statement on Saturday. She added that Epstein had deceived them.
The relationship between the 97-year-old linguist and the disgraced financier has been under scrutiny after documents released by the US Justice Department shed light on their friendship. In 2019, as Epstein faced sex-trafficking allegations, he asked Chomsky for advice. Chomsky wrote that the best way to proceed was to ignore the media, warning that public response would invite “an onslaught of venomous attacks”.
Valeria Chomsky acknowledged reading a 2018 Miami Herald investigation into Epstein’s crimes, but said the couple was not aware of the extent of his activities until his second arrest in July 2019. “We were careless in not thoroughly researching his background. This was a grave mistake, and for that lapse in judgment, I apologise on behalf of both of us,” she said.
She explained that Epstein had claimed to be unfairly persecuted, and Chomsky spoke from his own experience with media controversies. “Epstein created a manipulative narrative about his case, which Noam, in good faith, believed in,” she said, adding that Epstein aimed to use Chomsky to repair his reputation.
The couple attended dinners at Epstein’s New York townhouse, stayed at his apartments in New York and Paris, dined at his New Mexico ranch, and attended academic gatherings with him. Valeria Chomsky stressed they never visited his private island. She said they were introduced to Epstein in 2015 and were unaware of his 2008 guilty plea for soliciting prostitution from a minor. Epstein presented himself as a philanthropist interested in science.
