Mock Republican convention website links to Epstein Files
The Republican Party's official social media account responded to reports about the website on X with: “FAKE NEWS!”
The Republican Party has rejected reports circulating online about a mock website linked to its planned 2026 midterm convention in Dallas, after the site briefly redirected visitors to a US Department of Justice webpage containing the so-called Epstein Files.
The Republican Party's official social media account responded to reports about the website on X with: "FAKE NEWS!"
The Republican National Committee plans to hold the convention at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, a move that organisers have described as an effort to give voters greater access to the party's leadership and President Donald Trump, says Al Jazeera.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
RNC spokesperson Zach Kraft defended the decision to hold the event in an interview with 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."
Kraft added: "So, he wants them to be able to have an opportunity to attend this event and hear from him directly."
The controversy surrounding the website centred on gopdallas2026.com, which appeared to resemble an official convention website but was not affiliated with the Republican Party.
Before the automatic redirect to the Department of Justice website was active, the mock site's creators included a disclaimer at the bottom of the page stating:
"This website is 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. For official convention information, please visit the appropriate official websites."
The site's activity drew attention from Democratic lawmakers and journalists on social media.
Representative Ted Lieu of California, sharing a post about the site's redirect to the Epstein Files, wrote: "I just tried the website and the below description, as of right now, is accurate. Sort of awesome."
The post shared by Lieu was from reporter Jake Lahut, who highlighted unusual activity surrounding the web search results and wrote that "something funky is going on".
The episode comes as Trump's administration and congressional Republicans continue to face political pressure over the release and handling of records related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Trump has denied wrongdoing in connection with Epstein and has criticised what he has described as excessive attention to the case.
The Republican Party's response did not provide further details about the website or identify those responsible for creating it.
