5 takes on the Hunter Biden laptop that have aged poorly

Join Fox News for access to this content Plus special access to select articles and other premium content with your account - free of charge. By entering your email and pushing continue, you are agreeing to Fox News' Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, which includes our Notice of Financial Incentive. Please enter a valid email address. Having trouble? Click here.

When the news of the Hunter Biden laptop broke in 2020, it was originally dismissed as Russian disinformation. Now, it has been entered as official, legitimate evidence in court in Hunter’s federal gun crime trial.

Here are five of the most shocking instances where the laptop was dismissed as illegitimate.

Politico reports on letter from intel officials who claimed laptop was Russian disinformation

Soon after the Hunter Biden story was published by the New York Post on Oct. 14, 2020, media outlets were quick to suggest that the laptop in question was part of a complex operation by Russia to impact the U.S. Presidential Election.

The narrative by the media stemmed in part from an open letter penned by 51 former intelligence officials, who claimed that the laptop had "all the classic earmarks of a Russian information operation."

FLASHBACK: MSNBC, CNN, CBS TOLD VIEWERS HUNTER BIDEN LAPTOP STORY WAS RUSSIAN DISINFORMATION

The letter was first reported and circulated by Politico, which ran the headline "Hunter Biden story is Russian disinfo, dozens of former intel officials say." U.S. intelligence officials suggested that the emails on the laptop may have been hacked and altered by the Kremlin to incriminate Hunter.

Among the signatories were former Director of National Intelligence-turned-CNN analyst James Clapper, former CIA Director-turned-MSNBC analyst John Brennan and