Veteran journalist and author Chris Hedges has questioned the explanation provided by Valeria Chomsky, wife and spokesperson of renowned intellectual Noam Chomsky, over the couple’s association with convicted sex offender and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Hedges argued that the couple’s interactions with Epstein went beyond simple carelessness and added that Chomsky was aware of Epstein’s abusive behaviour and the social circles he cultivated.
The reaction follows the release of newly disclosed US Department of Justice files that revealed years of correspondence and interactions between Chomsky and Epstein, even after Epstein’s conviction in 2008.
What Valeria Chomsky said
Valeria Chomsky acknowledged the controversy sparked by the new files and described her and Noam Chomsky’s engagement with Epstein as a “grave mistake.”
She said they were careless in not thoroughly researching Epstein’s background and were deceived by how he presented himself. According to her statement, Epstein positioned himself as a philanthropist and benefactor interested in science, which drew Chomsky into correspondence and social gatherings.
She insisted that neither she nor Chomsky ever witnessed inappropriate behaviour and claimed they only learned the full extent of his crimes after his 2019 arrest. Valeria also said Chomsky shared her view before suffering a severe stroke in 2023.
Her statement attempted to frame their contact, dinners, meetings, and even travel arrangements, as the result of poor judgment rather than complicity, and she expressed “unrestricted solidarity with the victims” of Epstein’s crimes.
Hedges’ stark rejection of ‘gullible’ defence
Hedges, himself an acclaimed writer and longtime acquaintance of Chomsky, categorically rejected the narrative offered by Valeria Chomsky. In a scathing piece, Hedges said the idea that Chomsky was gullible or accidentally misled is “fatuous.”
Hedges instead argued that Chomsky was not passive but rather ‘seduced’ by Epstein’s elite circles, attending dinners, flying on Epstein’s private jet and accepting privileges that came with being in his orbit.
Hedges wrote that Chomsky “knew about Epstein’s abuse of children. They all knew, and like others in the Epstein orbit, he did not care.” He said the association represents a “terrible and, to many, unforgivable stain” that irreparably tarnishes Chomsky’s legacy, especially given Chomsky’s reputation as a critic of power and exploitation.
Hedges went on to frame the episode as a broader lesson about the ruling class: “The closer you get to these vampires the more you become enslaved”, he wrote, warning intellectuals against socialising with the powerful and morally compromised.
The veteran commentator expressed his profound disappointment that one of the most respected leftwing thinkers would align socially with someone like Epstein despite what was publicly known about his crimes.
How Epstein was linked to Chomsky
The recently released Justice Department files show that Chomsky and Epstein exchanged emails from at least 2015 through 2019.
In one 2019 exchange, Epstein asked Chomsky for advice on dealing with negative press, and Chomsky responded that engaging the media would only fuel criticism, even lamenting what he described as “hysteria” around abuse allegations, comments made months before Epstein’s 2019 arrest on sex trafficking charges.
The records also include social engagements, travel discussions, and personal correspondence with Epstein, who was a convicted sex offender after his 2008 guilty plea for soliciting a minor. These connections have thrown renewed scrutiny on Chomsky’s judgment.
