A deceptive website mimicking the official portal for the Republican Party’s upcoming midterm convention in Dallas has been ranking as a primary result on Google, automatically redirecting visitors to the Department of Justice’s repository of Jeffrey Epstein files.
For several hours on Friday, the domain gopdallas2026.com sat at the top of search listings. The preview snippet invited users to “discover details about the 2026 RNC Midterm Convention,” but clicking through led directly to the Epstein legal records.
The Republican Party swiftly condemned the prank on social media, labeling it “FAKE NEWS” and directing the public to GOPConvention.com for legitimate information.
The incident was quickly exploited by Democratic lawmakers to reignite scrutiny over the administration’s handling of the Epstein Files. Under the Epstein Files Transparency Act, passed in November, the Justice Department was required to release the documents within 30 days. Critics argue that released records remain overly redacted, while others note that victim identities were exposed. President Donald Trump, a scheduled speaker at the convention, has also faced questioning regarding his past association with Epstein, who died in 2019 while facing sex-trafficking charges.
California Representative Ted Lieu highlighted the incident, sharing a report from journalist Jake Lahut. “I just tried the website and the below description, as of right now, is accurate… Sort of awesome,” Lieu said.
Internet Archive records indicate the site previously featured an image of the American Airlines Center and included a prompt for contact information in exchange for “exclusive updates.” However, fine print at the bottom clarified that the site was an independent resource not affiliated with the Republican National Committee or the convention organizers.
The September 9-10 event marks the first midterm convention in Republican Party history and is expected to be the largest since 2016. RNC spokesperson Zach Kraft told CBS Texas that the party aims to open the event to the public, with Trump speaking both nights to boost enthusiasm ahead of the November midterms. Democrats previously held similar midterm conferences in 1974, 1978, and 1982.
Bold move, but using Epstein files as a redirect feels like a low blow for attention. The GOP should clean up their digital security.
This is chaotic. I clicked expecting convention info and got buried in legal documents instead. Who is actually maintaining this spoof site?