Epstein considered using former CIA 'torture' plane

By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - A newly surfaced email from the Epstein files shows that the late sex offender considered using a private plane previously linked to the CIA's extraordinary rendition program.

Jeffrey Epstein's pilot Larry Visoski raised concerns in the 2017 correspondence about the aircraft's history and the possibility of it causing problems during international travel, particularly in the Middle East.

"Not sure if the BBJ (Boeing Business Jets) serial number would give us issue flying in the Middle East," Visoski wrote, adding that the "past history of owners of Josh's BBJ was the CIA in 2007."

He also noted that a previous registration number, "N313P," indicated that the plane "was used as a CIA plane to transport prisoners to Guantanamo Bay" and said it "was called a Torture Plane."

Visoski also included a link in the email to an online article detailing the aircraft's alleged use in the CIA's post-9/11 rendition program, in which detainees were secretly transferred to detention sites overseas.

The Justice Department recently released thousands of Epstein-related documents under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which was signed into law by US President Donald Trump on Nov. 19 last year.

Those files included photos of prominent figures, grand jury transcripts and investigative records, though many pages were heavily redacted to protect victims. The agency released an additional 30,000 documents last Tuesday and on Wednesday said it had received more than 1 million additional documents potentially related to Epstein.

Democrats have criticized the redactions in the documents as violating transparency laws while the Justice Department defended them, saying they are aimed at protecting the identities and privacy of victims and survivors of sexual exploitation.