Fake Republican Convention Website Redirects Visitors to DOJ's Epstein Library Before RNC Event

A look-alike Republican convention website redirected visitors to the US Department of Justice's Epstein Library days before the Republican Party's first national midterm convention, scheduled for 9 and 10 September in Dallas, Texas.

The domain, gopdallas2026.com, was designed to resemble the official convention website and appeared prominently in Google searches before being taken offline.

The incident came just before Republicans gather at the American Airlines Center for a two-day event featuring President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance. Trump is scheduled to appear on both nights, while Vance will headline one of the evening programmes as the party seeks to energise its base ahead of the November midterm elections.

The spoof domain was not the Republican National Committee's official website, and there is no evidence that the RNC's own site was hacked.

Instead, the imitation site reproduced details associated with the Dallas event, including information about registration and VIP experiences, making it appear relevant to people searching for the convention online.

Fake Republican Convention Site Appeared Above Official Page

For a period, gopdallas2026.com reportedly appeared above the legitimate convention website in some Google searches. Its search preview described the page as offering information about the 2026 RNC Midterm Convention at the American Airlines Center, including registration and VIP opportunities.

The site's presentation was close enough to the official event branding to attract attention, although the website contained a disclaimer stating that it was not affiliated with the RNC or the convention. That distinction matters because the available reporting does not establish that the site was attempting to obtain money or personal information from visitors.

Instead, the most conspicuous feature of the stunt was where visitors were taken.

Before the domain was taken offline, users who accessed it were redirected to the DOJ's online 'Epstein Library', the department's repository for materials relating to Jeffrey Epstein. The redirect created an unmistakable political association, but it does not itself establish any connection between the Republican convention, the RNC, or Epstein.

The site's creator was initially unclear. Subsequent reporting has linked the domain to TaskForce, a creative agency founded by Yosi Sergant, and reported that Sergant appeared to acknowledge the stunt.

The Daily Beast described it as satire intended to draw attention to the Epstein files. However, the connection has not been independently established as an official confirmation from the agency, and responsibility for the redirect itself should not be treated as conclusively proven.

RNC Responds as Trump Prepares for Dallas Convention

Republican National Committee spokesman Zach Parkinson dismissed the stunt in a statement to Chron, saying, 'Democrats are too broke to have their own midterm convention, so they settled for a sad, fake little website. Apparently they're not even very good at doing that.'

Parkinson's statement did not establish that Democrats were responsible for the website, and the available reporting does not provide evidence supporting that conclusion. The RNC has also not publicly identified the person or group responsible for the site or the subsequent redirect.

The spoof emerged as the Republican Party prepared for an unusual political gathering. The Dallas event is the GOP's first national midterm convention and is intended to showcase the party's candidates and agenda before the November elections.

Trump's presence is expected to dominate the proceedings. Reuters reported that he will speak on both nights, while the RNC has positioned the convention as an opportunity to promote his administration and Republican candidates.

However, Trump's declining approval ratings and voter concerns about the economy and the war in Iran are creating difficulties for Republicans seeking to retain their congressional majorities. Democratic enthusiasm has also increased, giving the convention a more consequential role than a routine party gathering.

The event is expected to bring roughly 20,000 visitors to Dallas, according to reporting on the convention, with Trump, Vance, and other senior Republican figures due to appear.