Valeria Chomsky has apologised for what she described as a "grave mistake" in maintaining ties with Jeffrey Epstein, saying she and her husband, renowned linguist Noam Chomsky, were careless in failing to fully investigate the disgraced financier's past. In a statement released this weekend, she says Epstein had deceived them and presented himself as a philanthropist interested in science and academic discussion.
The relationship has come under renewed scrutiny following the release of US justice department documents detailing communications between Epstein and Chomsky, including messages sent after Epstein's 2008 guilty plea and amid renewed sex trafficking allegations in 2019. Valeria Chomsky said the couple did not understand the full extent of Epstein's crimes until his second arrest in July 2019, despite being aware of earlier reporting. She added that Noam Chomsky, now 97 and recovering from a major stroke suffered in 2023, later shared her regret over the lapse in judgement.
Valeria Chomsky also sought to contextualise her husband's 2019 advice to Epstein on handling media scrutiny, saying Epstein had portrayed himself as a victim of unfair persecution and exploited Chomsky's long-standing criticism of media culture and "cancel culture". She acknowledged that the couple attended dinners and academic gatherings hosted by Epstein in the US and Europe but said they never visited his private island and had no knowledge of criminal activity. Financial dealings between the two men, she said, were limited and did not involve shared investments, adding that Epstein had used manipulation to gain proximity and credibility through association...