In a statement released Friday, Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Rep. Adam Schiff, the vice-chairmen of the Senate and House Intelligence Committees, respectively, formally accused Russia of attempting to influence the US election. It was the first official, on-record confirmation from US government officials that the Kremlin is actively working to manipulate public confidence in the country’s election system.

But sources tell BuzzFeed News that the White House — which has stayed silent despite mounting pressure to call out its Moscow adversaries — tried to delay the statement’s release. The public accusation was of such concern to the administration that White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough was personally involved in the negotiations over releasing it, according to a congressional source.

The White House convinced Feinstein and Schiff, both Democrats, to omit part of their original statement for security reasons, according to another congressional source. The White House then repeatedly asked the lawmakers to wait on releasing it — first for a day, then for three, the first congressional source said. By last Friday, the two offices decided to move forward.