The Hawai'i Democratic Party earns the distinction for one of the most convoluted campaign contribution deals in recent memory. And it smells enough to demand an investigation by the Federal Elections Commission.

Just try to follow the money in this tangled web: Begin with Richard Bready, a Rhode Island business exec who gave the legal campaign limit ($4,200) to Matt Brown, a Rhode Island candidate for the U.S. Senate.

But then Bready wrote a check for $6,000 to the Hawai'i Democratic Party. The party admits to receiving the check after making a $5,000 contribution to Brown.

Coincidence? Party leaders say there was no deal. Just one set of folks helping another. But Rhode Island? An FEC investigation would determine the truth.

The law is clear: It's illegal to make donations meant to avoid campaign limits. It's also illegal for a group to pass a contribution on behalf of an individual.

The delicious irony is that Brown, the current Rhode Island secretary of state, is running on a clean government platform centered on public financing for campaigns.

All parties involved are now scurrying to return the contributions. But that doesn't undo the loss of public trust.

The FEC should investigate, and if it turns out to be as it so clearly looks, sanctions must be more than a wrist slap.