You must know that it would have taken time going through regular channels.
If you want to go through channels to get an answer, be my guest.
I might have saved your partner for you, if you'd only gone through channels.
"We'll go through channels and get the word to the right folks."
What I just told you, pal, it doesn't go through channels.
If your letter goes through channels, probably I don't get on the airplane.
"Right, but only after we went back through other channels."
We don't have a lot of time to go through normal channels.
Yes, but they were reporting on a law that had been broken, even after having gone through channels.
Took all the blame- said that he hadn't thought to go through channels and should have known better.
Idiome