A new investigation from The Wall Street Journal has uncovered details about the private social calendar of the late billionaire sex offenderJeffrey Epstein. Epstein was known for cavorting with other wealthy and powerful individuals, but the new revelations include — amongst other things — several dates with Noam Chomsky. These include a shared flight to a dinner party with Woody Allen and his wife slash ex-wife's-daughter, Soon-Yi Previn, circa 2015, as well as a meeting with former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.
Epstein famously donated nearly a million dollars to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology during the time that Chomsky taught there — donations which were kept secret, due to the fact that Epstein was a registered sex offender after being convicted of soliciting minors for prostitution. The revelation of Epstein's clandestine patronage to MIT was explosive.
When reached for comment, Chomsky reportedly replied:
First response is that it is none of your business. Or anyone's. Second is that I knew him and we met occasionally.
[…]
If there was a flight, which I doubt, it would have been from Boston to New York, 30 minutes. I'm unaware of the principle that requires that I inform you about an evening spent with a great artist.
[…]
What was known about Jeffrey Epstein was that he had been convicted of a crime and had served his sentence. According to U.S. laws and norms, that yields a clean slate.
The Journal article also reveals that Epstein had met on numerous occasions with Williams Burns, the current CIA director who was serving as deputy secretary of state at the time. A spokesperson for the CIA issued a statement saying that, "The director did not know anything about him, other than that he was introduced as an expert in the financial services sector and offered general advice on transition to the private sector. They had no relationship."
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to write the future Pulitzer-winning script about a fictionalized version of this supposed dinner party between Epstein, Chomsky, and Allen.
Epstein's Private Calendar Reveals Prominent Names, Including CIA Chief, Goldman's Top Lawyer [Khadeeja Safdar and David Benoit / The Wall Street Journal]
