The Democratic Party of Hawai'i ought to be feeling pretty embarrassed right about now.

The local political opposition has filed a federal complaint about the Democrats' recent shenanigans involving a Rhode Island candidate. They contend the local Democrats may have violated federal laws against political money laundering.

Based on what we have heard thus far, the action is well founded.

The local office of the GOP alleges that a donations swap between the party and a supporter of Rhode Island candidate Matt Brown skirts contribution limits by funneling Hawai'i money to Brown and then kicking back a similar amount from a Brown supporter to the Hawai'i Democratic Party.

Local Democrats have returned the money, saying they made a mistake by getting involved in a contested primary.

But it still looks suspicious to the average citizen, who would reasonably wonder why the party here should concern itself with a candidate clear across the country.

If it's just happenstance, as the Democrats claim, that would become clear in the federal investigation the Republicans are seeking.

However, that's not the only embarrassing thing.

Maine is another state where Democrats are similarly accused of deal-making in the Brown affair, similarly maintaining that party campaign contributions are legal. But in Maine, where the party chairman has already resigned, there has been a proactive response.

The party has instituted reforms, banning future contributions to out-of-state races unless approved by the Democratic State Committee. Maine also now requires two signatures on checks for more than $2,500, including campaign contributions.

Hawai'i Democrats, by comparison, have offered nothing but thin excuses from their headquarters.

There ought to to be at least some measure of accountability from local party leaders, without being shamed into it by the GOP.

The steps taken by Maine, particularly imposing an outright ban on out-of-state contributions, should be taken here as well.