Prankster built GOP midterm convention lookalike website - that just sends people to the Epstein files

Read the original at The Independent ↗
Cite

Rascius, B. (2026, September 5). Prankster built GOP midterm convention lookalike website - that just sends people to the Epstein files. The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/republican-convention-epstein-files-prankster-b3045331.html

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

The Independent · collected 2026-09-05 · by Brendan Rascius

Quick Summary

A website pretending to be the official site of the Republican National Committee's 2026 midterm convention instead redirected visitors to the Department of Justice's cache of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender who died in 2019. The fake site appeared more prominently in Google search results than the RNC's actual convention page. A spokesperson for the RNC has blamed Democrats for creating the lookalike website. As of Saturday afternoon, the site still sent visitors to the Justice Department's Epstein files.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-05, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

A mock website posing as the official Republican National Committee's (RNC) midterm convention in Dallas redirected users to the Department of Justice's website containing files about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The fake site, gopdallas2026.com, was listed at the top of Google search results for hours on Friday and promised information about the convention, but instead took visitors to a webpage with records related to Epstein. The RNC denounced the website on social media, directing users to the official GOPConvention.com site instead. It is unclear who created the fake website, but the RNC blamed Democrats, suggesting they were behind it as a prank. The incident drew attention to the Epstein files, which have been a subject of scrutiny and controversy. The Republican midterm convention is set to take place in Dallas on Wednesday and Thursday of this week, with President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance expected to attend.

Written for “RNC Website Prank” on 2026-10-21, grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 RNC Website Prank
Politics · 3 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 12% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
Mock Republican convention website redirects users to Epstein Files same event · 100%
Al Jazeera · 0.91 cosine similarity
⚖️ Leans left 🔴 7% hedged 2 of 29 📰 publisher trust 60
“Both articles describe a mock website that redirects users to the Epstein Files, with identical domain name and similar descriptions, suggesting they are reporting on the same specific incident.”
Fake RNC midterm convention link reroutes to DOJ Epstein files website same event · 100%
Washington Examiner · 0.90 cosine similarity
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 12 📰 publisher trust 66
“Both articles describe the same website (gopdallas2026.com) redirecting users to the Epstein files, referencing the same RNC midterm convention and location in Dallas.”
‘Wheel of Fortune’ announcer Jim Thornton appeared to participate in disturbing pedophilia chatroom mid-flight different event · 90%
New York Post
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 12% hedged 5 of 43 📰 publisher trust 66
“Article A describes a passenger's photos of Jim Thornton on a flight, while Article B discusses a prank website redirecting visitors to Epstein files”
Dems Ask for Probe Into Trump Team’s Handling of Anniversary Data different event · 90%
Mother Jones
⚖️ leaning not scored 🔴 6% hedged 2 of 32 📰 publisher trust 95
“Article A reports on a prank website redirecting visitors to Epstein files, while Article B discusses a separate issue with personal data collection from online registration for anniversary events”
Kash Patel’s Embarrassing Video Botches the Name of the FBI different event · 80%
The Bulwark
⚖️ Leans left 🔴 0% hedged 0 of 9
“Article A describes a prank website redirecting visitors to the Epstein files, while Article B discusses Republicans' growing signs that they see Trump as a midterm liability and mentions the collapse of his convention”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
24
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
12%
3 of 24 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
withheld
no quote in the article backed the model's score
Publisher signals
59/100
The Independent's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
3
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-05 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

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Who wrote this

Brendan Rascius
76 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Trump has reportedly asked White House Counsel Will Scharf to investigate.
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🔮 He claimed in the post that the change would boost local home values and fix what he called the state’s “crooked elections.”
2026-10-20 · assertive framing · New Mexico’s governor claps back at Trump’s plan to rename her state
🔮 Grenell allegedly directed Mildon to wire roughly $17 million to Houston-based Texas Armament & Technology — about $6 million of which would go to the performing arts center.
2026-10-19 · mixed framing · ‘Pay-for-influence’ scandal involving Trump allies hits White House: report
🔮 By contrast, the county’s Kamala Harris voters could all fit comfortably on a school bus.
2026-10-18 · assertive framing · Meet the Democrats breaking through in the country’s most pro-Trump town: ‘Tough nut’
🔮 At a rally in Kentucky on Saturday, President Donald Trump reprised familiar attacks on Democrats and predicted a strong Republican showing in the midterm elections.
2026-10-17 · assertive framing · Trump recycles ‘Dumocrats’ attacks at Kentucky rally but behind the scenes is ‘blaming aides’ for gloomy midterms outlook
🔮 The dinner comes just several weeks before the November midterm elections, which polls indicate could result in severe Republican losses, as many Americans express concerns about the cost of living and the ongoing war in Iran.
2026-10-17 · assertive framing · Inside Trump’s four-hour dinner with Bill Maher, Stephen A Smith and Kid Rock: ‘I’m on like beer seven’
🔮 The president said Friday there is “zero chance” he will replace her.
2026-10-17 · assertive framing · Susie Wiles had a hand in setting up Katie Zacharia’s car crash Fox interview: report
🔮 No one will ever make America great the way he has and continues to.”
2026-10-17 · assertive framing · Katie Zacharia praises Trump as ‘kind’ and ‘wonderful’ after he fires her five days into new role
🔮 Should he win, Talarico would become the first Democrat to capture a statewide office in Texas in over 30 years.
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🔮 For the first time this year, Fox News is projecting that Democrats will win control of the House of Representatives in November’s midterm elections.
2026-10-14 · assertive framing · Fox News is now predicting Democrats will take control of the House in November midterms
Also by Brendan Rascius
Venezuelan family scored a Trump pardon after giving $50M job to his ex-attorney Alina Habba: report
2026-10-21 · The Independent
New Mexico’s governor claps back at Trump’s plan to rename her state
2026-10-20 · The Independent
‘Pay-for-influence’ scandal involving Trump allies hits White House: report
2026-10-19 · The Independent
Meet the Democrats breaking through in the country’s most pro-Trump town: ‘Tough nut’
2026-10-18 · The Independent
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 76 articles by Brendan Rascius →

Topics

Democrats Google RNC Republicans the Justice Department’s

Subjects

Epstein PERSON · 5× RNC ORG · 4× Trump PERSON · 4× Jeffrey Epstein PERSON · 3× Congress ORG · 2× Democrats NORP · 2× Google ORG · 2× Republicans NORP · 2× the Justice Department’s ORG · 2× the Republican National Committee’s ORG · 1×

Narrative

“Democrats are too broke to have their own midterm convention, so they settled for a sad, fake little website,” RNC spokesperson Zach Parkinson wrote on social media, responding to a Daily Mail report that linked the site to a creative agency run by a former Democratic operative.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-05
🔮 However, months into his term, his then-Attorney General Pam Bondi announced no new information would be released.
2026-09-05 · The Independent
Prankster built GOP midterm convention lookalike website - that just sends people to the Epstein files · assertive framing

Claims (24 extracted, 3 hedged)

A website purporting to host details about the Republican National Committee’s 2026 midterm convention instead redirected visitors’ attention to a subject President Donald Trump has long sought to put behind him, according to a new report. uncertain
Trump → purport → report
Google’s preview for the imposter site — gopdallas2026.com — stated that it included “details about the 2026 RNC Midterm Convention at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, Sept. 9-10 including registration, VIP experiences,” The New York Times reported. asserted
Times → state → registration
But when users clicked the link, they were instead sent to the Department of Justice’s cache of documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, the deceased sex offender. asserted
they → click → Epstein
The fake site appeared far more prominently in Google search results than the RNC’s official convention page, gopconvention.com, drawing immediate attention to the discrepancy. asserted
site → appear → discrepancy
It remains unclear who created the lookalike website, but the RNC has blamed Democrats. uncertain
RNC → remain → Democrats
“Democrats are too broke to have their own midterm convention, so they settled for a sad, fake little website,” RNC spokesperson Zach Parkinson wrote on social media, responding to a Daily Mail report that linked the site to a creative agency run by a former Democratic operative. asserted
that → have → operative
As of Saturday afternoon, the site still redirects users to the Justice Department’s website. asserted
site → redirect → website
The upcoming, first-of-its-kind convention is intended to boost Republicans ahead of the midterm elections in November, which historically see the president’s party lose seats in Congress. asserted
party → intend → Congress
However, some GOP lawmakers reportedly have no interest in attending, while Republican operatives have complained about the pricey tickets. uncertain
operatives → have → tickets
The Independent has contacted the RNC for comment. asserted
Independent → contact → comment
Jeffrey Epstein was a financier and convicted sex offender who pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution. asserted
who → convict → prostitution
In 2019, federal prosecutors charged him with trafficking minors. asserted
prosecutors → charge → minors
He died in a Manhattan jail in 2019 before trial, leaving many questions unresolved. asserted
He → die → questions
The Justice Department’s release of millions of Epstein-related records has renewed scrutiny of his ties to powerful figures, including Trump, who has not been accused of wrongdoing and says he cut ties with Epstein years ago. asserted
he → relate → Epstein
Appearance in the files does not indicate wrongdoing. asserted
Appearance → indicate → wrongdoing
Trump started the firestorm over Epstein by pledging during the presidential campaign to release more information. asserted
Trump → start → information
However, months into his term, his then-Attorney General Pam Bondi announced no new information would be released. asserted
information → announce → term
That sparked outrage from his base. asserted
That → spark → base
Congress passed a law to force the release, and Trump eventually complied and released the documents - despite missing the initial deadline. asserted
Trump → pass → deadline
A congressional committee continues to investigate the Epstein case. asserted
committee → continue → case
The president has long sought to move past the Epstein controversy, over which he earned criticism from multiple prominent Republicans. asserted
he → seek → Republicans
“Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein? asserted
you → talk → Epstein
This guy's been talked about for years," Trump told a reporter last year. asserted
Trump → talk → reporter
“Are people still talking about this guy? asserted
people → talk → guy
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