Former acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf delayed an intelligence report warning about Russian interference in the 2020 U.S. presidential election while other department officials made what appear to have been politically motivated edits to the document, a new watchdog report says.

In a report released Tuesday, the DHS’ Office of Inspector General says the department did not follow its standard process in editing and disseminating the intelligence assessment that warned Russia might have been working to influence the election by promoting false claims about Joe Biden’s mental health.

The investigation was in response to a whistleblower complaint by Brian Murphy, the former head of the DHS’ intelligence branch, who claimed Wolf told him during a July 8, 2020, meeting that the report should be “held” because it “made the president look bad.”

Wolf took part in the review multiple times despite lacking any formal role in the process, the inspector general said. 

“The Acting Secretary’s involvement in I&A’s (the DHS’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis) process caused a delay in the product’s release and potentially furthered the perception of politicization surrounding the product,” the report says.

I&A planned to circulate the intelligence report July 9, but various delays prevented it from being disseminated until Sept. 8 — and even then, I&A chose not to use the usual channels in order to limit its distribution, which wasn’t completed until Oct. 15. 

I&A, in response to comments received during an external review, edited the initial intelligence assessment to include a so-called tone box describing overt efforts by Chinese and Iranian actors to promote unsubstantiated claims about Trump’s mental health, the IG report says. The mention was outside the scope of the Russia report. 

When questioned by the inspector general’s office, the official who ordered the edit gave conflicting statements but indicated there were political reasons for the change. 

“He told us it was a feature intended to draw a contrast between the actions of Russia and those of Iran and China, but also described the tone box as a ‘blunting feature’ meant to balance the product,” the IG report says. “When asked whether intelligence products require balancing, he said the addition of the tone box was not politicization, yet also said it showed I&A’s political savviness, as the state and local customers of their products tended to be political.”

The inspector general’s office said it believes the official’s explanation contradicts an intelligence community policy that states “analytic assessments must be independent of political consideration and must not be distorted by, nor shaped for, advocacy of a particular audience, agenda, or policy viewpoint.”

Leading up to the election, Trump often responded to concerns about Russian meddling aimed at denigrating Biden by saying China was a bigger threat to interfere in the election with the goal of damaging Trump. For instance, after FBI Director Christopher Wray testified to Congress in September 2020 that the bureau had seen “very active efforts by the Russians to influence our election,” Trump tweeted, “But Chris, you don’t see any activity from China, even though it is a FAR greater threat than Russia, Russia, Russia.”

The inspector general does not reach a conclusion on whether Wolf’s order to hold the intelligence report was politically motivated, as the whistleblower alleged. That’s because witnesses gave conflicting accounts about the July 8 meeting in their interviews. Wolf denied saying the assessment would make Trump look bad. 

The IG report notes that Murphy withdrew his whistleblower complaint in November 2021, more than a year after filing it, as part of an agreement with the DHS. It does not provide further details about the agreement.

The report does not name Wolf by name, but refers to his title.

Wolf’s consulting firm did not respond to an email Wednesday seeking comment on the watchdog findings. He provided a statement to NBC News saying the report “supports my longstanding position on this matter,” and that the IG “did not find any credible evidence that I directed anyone to change the substance of the report because it ‘made President Trump look bad.’”

A DHS spokesperson said in a statement that the “troubling report raises concerns over the prior Administration’s inappropriate interference in the review and clearance process for an intelligence product.”

“Under the Biden-Harris Administration and the leadership of Secretary (Alejandro) Mayorkas, the Department of Homeland Security is focused on ensuring the safety and security of communities across our country, while conducting our work with integrity and in ways that protect privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties,” the spokesperson added.