This is the 10534th most frequent French word.
légitimant
"Légitimant" means "legitimizing" or "giving legitimacy" in English.
Here, 'légitimant' is used as a present participle accompanying 'un discours', emphasizing the action of legitimizing.
Il fait un discours légitimant son point de vue.
He is giving a speech legitimizing his point of view.
In this sentence, the present participle 'légitimant' describes the article, inferring that its purpose is to legitimize.
Elle écrit un article légitimant ses actions passées.
She is writing an article legitimizing her past actions.
Here, 'légitimant' modifies 'preuves', explaining that the evidence has the role of legitimizing those claims.