Full Breakdown
Spoof GOP Convention Site Redirects to DOJ Epstein Files
9/8/2026, 1:16:17 AM
Fake Convention Site Redirects to Epstein Files
A look-alike domain, gopdallas2026.com, was created to resemble the official Republican National Committee (RNC) midterm convention website. Instead of providing event details, the site automatically redirects visitors to the U.S. Department of Justice’s online repository of Jeffrey Epstein records. The redirect was first widely reported after it was noticed on September 4.
Background & Context
The RNC’s first-ever midterm convention is scheduled for September 9-10 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, and is intended to rally Republican voters ahead of the November 2026 congressional elections. The convention’s official web address is gopconvention.com.
The Justice Department’s “Epstein Library” was established under the 2025 Epstein Files Transparency Act, which mandated the release of unclassified federal records related to the convicted sex offender. The archive has become a focal point of political scrutiny, especially for President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly denied knowledge of Epstein’s crimes.
Timeline
- July 7 – GoDaddy records show the domain gopdallas2026.com was registered; the registrant’s identity is private.
- September 4 – The spoof site’s redirect to the DOJ Epstein files becomes widely noticed.
- September 9-10 – The RNC’s midterm convention takes place in Dallas.
Data & Statistics
- NBC DFW estimates the convention will attract about 20,000 visitors, including President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.
- The spoof domain is linked to roughly 140 other websites, among them the Daily Wire and the New Jersey Federation of Republican Women.
- The DOJ archive holds 3.5 million pages of Epstein-related documents.
Official Statements & Responses
The RNC’s official X account labeled reports of the redirect as “FAKE NEWS!” and posted a video demonstrating that the legitimate site gopconvention.com loads correctly. A spokesperson for the convention declined to comment on the identity of the spoof’s creator.
Criticism & Opposition
RNC communications director Zach Parkinson criticized the alleged source of the spoof, stating, “Democrats are too broke to have their own midterm convention, so they settled for a sad, fake little website.” The comment followed a Daily Mail report linking the site to a Democratic-run creative agency.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Democrats are too broke to have their own midterm convention, so they settled for a sad, fake little website,” — Zach Parkinson, RNC spokesperson
- “We wanted to be where the conversation is happening, and the conversation is going to be there,” — David Garrett, executive director of the Institute for Primary Facts
What's Next
The DOJ’s Epstein archive will remain accessible online, and the Institute for Primary Facts’ reading-room exhibit will continue in Dallas, overlapping the convention’s two-day schedule. No further official comment has been released regarding the spoof site’s ownership or any planned remedial actions.
