Elections

GOP says Pence won the VP debate — before the debate even happened

Republican Vice Presidential candidate Mike Pence
John Moore | Getty Images

Mike Pence won the vice presidential debate before it happened, according to a post on the Republican National Committee's website.

The page seen around 7:20 p.m. ET declared Indiana Gov. Pence "the clear winner" of the vice presidential debate against Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia. The debate starts at 9 p.m. ET.

It said Republican Donald Trump's running mate had "top moments" talking about the economy and Hillary Clinton's "scandals." It also featured other pre-loaded posts titled:

  • "It's Clear Who Lost the VP Debate, Hillary Clinton"
  • "5 Questions Tim Kaine was NOT Asked"
  • "10 Things Voters are Saying About the Debate"

The RNC took down the post at about 7:30 p.m., and the page loaded as a 404 error. It read, " What do Hillary Clinton and this link have in common? They're both 'dead broke.'"

The RNC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

After the post, a Clinton spokeswoman joked that she was not sure how she would spend the next few hours.

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