Fake Website Redirects to Epstein Files
A website that appeared to be associated with the Republican National Committee's (RNC) upcoming midterm convention in Dallas was redirecting visitors to the U.S. Department of Justice's online library of the Epstein files on Friday, according to multiple reports. The website, gopdallas2026.com, surfaced as one of the top results on Google for searches related to the convention, with preview text inviting users to "discover details about the 2026 RNC Midterm Convention."
Upon clicking, users were immediately taken to the DOJ's repository of records related to Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender who died in 2019 while facing sex-trafficking charges. As of Friday afternoon, the site was offline and displayed a message reading "This site is currently private," as reported by FOX 4 News.
The official RNC midterm convention website is gopconvention.com, which has been active for more than 20 years, according to FOX 4 News. The mock site, however, included a disclaimer at the bottom stating it was "an independent informational resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the Republican National Committee (RNC), the 2026 RNC Midterm Convention, the American Airlines Center, or any official convention entity," as documented by the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine and reported by NBC10 Boston and NBC 5 Chicago.
The real convention is scheduled for September 9-10 in Dallas and is expected to draw about 20,000 visitors, including President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and other Republican leaders, as reported by NBC10 Boston and NBC 5 Chicago. The RNC has described it as the first-ever midterm convention hosted by the Republican Party, with RNC spokesperson Zach Kraft telling CBS Texas: "Never before in history has any major party held a midterm convention, and President Trump wants to focus in on that and open this up to the American people, because all of his work has been about improving their lives."
Registration and Technical Details
Domain registration records from GoDaddy show the fake website was registered on July 7, though the owner's name is private, as reported by NBC10 Boston and NBC 5 Chicago. The Wayback Machine's captures indicate the site went live in July, according to FOX 4 News. As recently as Monday, the site featured an image of the American Airlines Center in Dallas, where the convention is to be held, with fireworks and a banner bearing the likeness of President Trump, FOX 4 News reported.
Nearly 140 other websites linked to the mock page, including The Dallas Morning News, the Daily Wire news site, and the New Jersey Federation of Republican Women, according to NBC10 Boston and NBC 5 Chicago. The redirect to the Epstein files appeared to be an intentional prank, though the identity of the creators remains unknown, as reported by NBC10 Boston.
The DOJ database was created following the 2025 Epstein Files Transparency Act, which mandated the release of unclassified federal records related to the Epstein case within 30 days, as reported by Al Jazeera. The president initially resisted making the files public but reversed his decision last year as Republicans in Congress appeared likely to join Democrats in forcing their release, according to NBC10 Boston and NBC 5 Chicago.
Political Reactions
The Republican Party responded to the incident on social media, writing "FAKE NEWS!" in response to reports that the fake website was being mistaken for the real one, and directing visitors to GOPConvention.com, as reported by Al Jazeera. Neither the RNC nor the Republican Party of Texas responded to requests for comment, according to FOX 4 News.
Democratic lawmakers seized on the prank to revive discussion of the Epstein files, which have been a long-running source of criticism for the Trump administration, Al Jazeera reported. Representative Ted Lieu of California shared a message from reporter Jake Lahut saying "something funky is going on," Al Jazeera noted.
The Epstein files have been a persistent political issue for Trump, who has repeatedly denied knowing about Epstein's sexual abuse of girls. Trump and Epstein had been close, although Trump said the friendship ended decades ago, Al Jazeera and NBC10 Boston reported. Trump officials have been accused of mishandling the files' release, and some critics have pointed out that certain records appear unnecessarily redacted while others reveal the identities of victims, Al Jazeera reported.
Epstein was convicted in 2008 of soliciting a minor and faced sex-trafficking charges at the time of his death in 2019, Al Jazeera reported.