WASHINGTON (TND) — The New York Times recently authenticated a controversial report indicating President Joe Biden's son abandoned a laptop at a Delaware repair shop that contained emails highlighting his work with a Ukrainian energy company.

The New York Times report, published March 16, focuses primarily on the Justice Department's ongoing investigation into Biden's son, Hunter Biden, and the younger Biden's tax liability. The report does not mention the outlet's successful attempt to authenticate the laptop story until the 24th paragraph.

Renewed interest in Hunter Biden's computer comes almost two years after several dozen intelligence analysts claimed the story had all the hallmarks of Russian disinformation intended to influence the 2020 election.

According to a Politico report at the time, more than 50 senior intelligence officials signed a letter in 2020 arguing they were “deeply suspicious that the Russian government played a significant role in this case.”

They did not cite evidence backing up their claim, only suggesting that their past experience leads them to believe the story, which came from the New York Post and hinged on Hunter absent-mindedly leaving a laptop at a repair shop, was not what it seemed.

If we are right, this is Russia trying to influence how Americans vote in this election, and we believe strongly that Americans need to be aware of this,” they added in the letter, according to Politico.

The group's suspicions followed reports in 2016 and 2017 of Russia's attempts to influence that year's election, one pitting former reality TV star Donald Trump against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The New York Times was not the only outlet to authenticate the New York Post story.

The Daily Caller News Foundation verified the laptop in October 2020, citing a cybersecurity expert who said an email Hunter received in 2015 from a Burisma executive discussing an introduction to then-Vice President Joe Biden was authentic.

The DCNF obtained a full copy of Hunter Biden's alleged laptop from former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. For a forensic analysis, the outlet then gave a copy of the email and its metadata to Robert Graham, a cybersecurity expert who has been cited in The Washington Post, the Associated Press and others, according to the DCNF.

Andrew Kerr, the investigative reporter who published the DCNF's report, published a tweet thread last week laying out Giuliani's role in the story's rollout.

It took the DCNF "weeks to convince him to hand over a copy of the drive so we could cryptographically authenticate it," Kerr wrote, adding: "[H]e told us questions surrounding its authenticity were 'pettifogging nonsense.'"

There were multiple ways to authenticate the laptop, Kerr argued, writing that the people who argued its was Russian disinformation "deserve the eggs on their faces."

Giuliani didn't help matters, according to Kerr. The former New York mayor refused to help people who were trying to verify the story, ultimately providing more reason for people to express skepticism, Kerr said.

The Department of Justice is possibly preparing for an indictment against the president's son, according to Peter Schweizer, author of "Clinton Cash: The Untold Story of How and Why Foreign Governments and Businesses Helped Make Bill and Hillary Rich."

"I think this New York Times piece, the fact that they got cooperation from team Biden and probably from the Hunter Biden legal team, is an indication that they are extremely concerned he's going to be indicted," Schweizer said Sunday on Fox News.

Biden’s lawyer, the Justice Department and the U.S. attorney’s office in Delaware all declined to comment, according to The New York Times, which cites people familiar with Hunter's case. The White House repeatedly directs reporters to the Justice Department when asked about Hunter's laptop.

“I’d point to the Department of Justice and Hunter Biden’s representatives," White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters when asked of The New York Times's report. "I’m a spokesperson for the United States. He doesn’t work for the United States.”

The DOJ declined to comment.