The philosopher and the sex trafficker were in contact long after Epstein was convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor, documents reveal

The philosopher and the sex trafficker were in contact long after Epstein was convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor, documents reveal

Chomsky had deeper ties with Epstein than previously known, documents reveal

The prominent linguist and philosopher Noam Chomsky called it a “most valuable experience” to have maintained “regular contact” with Jeffrey Epstein, who by then had long been convicted of soliciting prostitution from a minor, according to emails released earlier in November by US lawmakers.

Such comments from Chomsky, or attributed to him, suggest his association with Epstein – who officials concluded killed himself in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges – went deeper than the occasional political and academic discussions the former had previously claimed to have with the latter.

Chomsky, 96, had also reportedly acknowledged receiving about $270,000 from an account linked to Epstein while sorting the disbursement of common funds relating to the first of his two marriages, though the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor has insisted not “one penny” came directly from the infamous financier.

  • RalphFurley@lemmy.world
    12·
    23 hours ago

    I stopped listening to him after his stance on Ukraine. You could listen to his rhetoric on how the imperialist US invaded Vietnam and did horrible things there, but replace the US with Russia and Vietnam with Ukraine and it’s the same. But some how many leftists only care about some, but not all genocides.

    That being said, everyone is innocent until proven guilty so I’ll withhold my judgement for now. Anyone who did any child raping just be villified and punished regardless of their politics.

    • mcv@lemmy.zip
      4·
      9 hours ago

      I’ve long admired Chomsky, but non-US imperialism has long been a massive blind spot for him. Only the US can be imperialist, apparently.

  • monkeyslikebananas2@lemmy.world
    17·
    1 day ago

    Listen, if he did any raping, fuck him. And let’s make sure we expose everyone’s involvement and not just the gross people on the left. Or right for that matter.

    • ALoafOfBread@lemmy.ml
      31·
      23 hours ago

      And additionally, looking at the emails he actually sent and received from Epstein, they seem totally innocuous. Until I see actual evidence of wrongdoing, I’m going to withhold judgement. None about anything untoward, just literally stuff about politics and linguistics. Chomsky seemed to be corresponding with a similar rushed tone like he does in other correspondence - man answers a lot of emails.

      By contrast, Trump has many accounts of sexual harrassment and assault perpetrated by him, lots of circumstantial evidence tying him to the shady side of Epstein’s dealings, emails about him blowing bubba, etc.

  • floofloof@lemmy.ca
    571·
    2 days ago

    As expected, they’re making sure the focus is on Epstein associates on the left, while right-wing associations are swept under the rug. They probably expect this to be some kind of gotcha for left-wingers, but it isn’t. It just makes people disappointed in Noam Chomsky.

    • jdredbeard@lemmy.world
      34·
      2 days ago

      I would gladly take a shit on Chomsky’s grave, or Woody Allen’s, as much as I would Steve Bannon’s or Alan Dershowitz’s. They are all a bunch of sick fucks

    • WhatGodIsMadeOf@feddit.org
      83·
      2 days ago

      Also as expected they are focusing on the trafficking and pedo stuff instead of the fact America and our globe is owned by psychopaths and something even darker than human trafficking is happening and human freedom is about to change for everyone while they disguise it as security and “order”.

      So regardless, nothing is ever going to change.

  • MynameisAllen@lemmy.zip
    342·
    2 days ago

    This hit me harder than almost anything in recent history including Trump becoming president. I love Noam, I have a signed photo of him on my bedside table and listen to his lectures several nights a week. I’m truly mortified

  • Basic Glitch@sh.itjust.works
    14·
    2 days ago

    Chomsky, 96, had also reportedly acknowledged receiving about $270,000 from an account linked to Epstein while sorting the disbursement of common funds relating to the first of his two marriages, though the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor has insisted not “one penny” came directly from the infamous financier.

    … Is this supposed to make any sense? Why would Epstein be involved in helping him shift around his money after a marriage ended?

    “It was a very nasty divorce. Rather than risk dragging it all out in a convoluted public dispute, we mutually agreed that the sex trafficking financier would be the safest choice to act as a neutral 3rd party.”

    • qevlarr@lemmy.world
      6·
      23 hours ago

      Same here. Stopped taking him seriously after Russia invaded Ukraine and he had nothing worthwhile to say for Ukraine defending themselves against obvious imperialist aggression. Only tiresome variations on “America bad”. Yes America bad but that isn’t the point right now!