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 by the local model on 2026-09-05,
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Leaning score withheld for article 4698: no verified evidence · logged 2026-09-05
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.
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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?
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you → talk → Epstein
This guy's been talked about for years," Trump told a reporter last year.
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Trump → talk → reporter
“Are people still talking about this guy?
asserted
people → talk → guy
