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Mock Republican convention website tops Google search and redirects to Epstein files

The unofficial site briefly led search results ahead of the GOP's upcoming Dallas gathering.

The short version

  • An unofficial website, gopdallas2026.com, surfaced as Google's primary search result for the upcoming Republican midterm convention and redirected visitors to the Department of Justice's Jeffrey Epstein files.[Al Jazeera]
  • The Republican Party denounced claims that the site was authentic as fake news and pointed users to GOPConvention.com.[Al Jazeera]
  • Archive records indicate the mock page previously carried a disclaimer stating it was an independent resource unaffiliated with the RNC or event organizers.[Al Jazeera]
  • The RNC midterm convention is scheduled to proceed in Dallas from September 9 to 10.[Al Jazeera]

Key facts

  • The mock domain gopdallas2026.com became the top Google search result for the 2026 Republican midterm convention and redirected users directly to Jeffrey Epstein files hosted by the Department of Justice.[Al Jazeera]
  • The Republican Party dismissed social media assertions regarding the mock site's authenticity as 'FAKE NEWS!' while directing users to GOPConvention.com.[Al Jazeera]
  • Past snapshots from the Internet Archive show the mock site previously contained a disclaimer clarifying it was an independent informational resource unaffiliated with official RNC bodies.[Al Jazeera]
  • The Republican Party's midterm convention is scheduled to take place in Dallas from September 9 to 10.[Al Jazeera]

What remains uncertain

  • An RNC spokesperson claimed no major party in history has ever held a midterm convention, contrasting with historical records showing Democrats held national midterm party conferences in 1974, 1978, and 1982.[Al Jazeera]

Sources

Outlet counts describe coverage, not independent confirmation. Reports may share a wire service or original source.