President Donald Trump and his supporters are using a congressional memo alleging FBI surveillance abuse to raise questions about the origins of a federal investigation into his campaign's ties to Russia.
But the four-page document includes revelations that might complicate the effort to undermine special counsel Robert Mueller's ongoing probe.
The document contends that the FBI relied excessively on an ex-British spy whose opposition research was funded by Democrats. Yet it also says the investigation actually began several months earlier.
The spy admitted to having strong anti-Trump sentiments, but he was also a "longtime FBI source" with a credible track record.
And the warrant to monitor the communications of campaign adviser Carter Page was approved by a judge on four occasions and authorized by Trump's hand-picked deputy attorney general.