I understand being angry or disappointed at Chomsky or anyone else for being involved in this horror show. I don't think anyone is saying we should "preserve his good name" or ignore any terrible things he did or condoned.

But if you respect his work as a linguist (I don't, I think he had a good insight, but is extremely overrated and his disciples cling on to his ideas in a very unscientific way) you can do that while disliking him as a person. If you agree with his political analysis, you can do that even if he murdered someone. His moral failings don't change the content of his work. If Epstein was actually a great financier (rather than just a crook and blackmailer), and that's something that you care about, then sure respect his finance skills.

If someone's personal failings upset you, and that spoils your enjoyment of their work that's completely understandable. There's books and music that I can't hear the same now I know more about their creators. But you're not under a moral obligation to hate the art because the artist is awful. And as the original commentor said, in the modern world it's becoming an essential skill to cultivate.