If it looks like a duck, waddles like a duck and quacks like one, it’s probably a … campaign funding scandal. You see way more of those these days than ducks.

We see impropriety written all over the recent admission by Maine’s Democratic Party that it donated $10,000 to a Rhode Island candidate for the U.S. Senate.

Worse, a Rhode Island booster of that candidate, Richard Bready, then made a $6,000 contribution to the Maine Democratic Party.

Coincidence? We think not.

Bready had already given the maximum amount allowed under Rhode Island law to Senate candidate Matt Brown. Two other state parties, in Hawaii and Massachusetts, also made donations to Brown’s campaign, and received donations from Bready.

Maine Democratic Party Chairman Pat Colwell was soft-pedaling the budding scandal last week. “Even though we have met the letter of the law and we feel that we are in full compliance, we’re returning the contribution,” Colwell said Thursday.

Ah, the letter of the law, the argument of last resort for anyone performing ethical gymnastics to explain unethical behavior. We’re not sure about the law on this, but the back-and-forth contributions stink of shady dealings.

Why in goodness sake would money from Maine Democrats be used to help a Rhode Island candidate in a primary race? Not only is Rhode Island a long way away, state parties rarely get involved with intra-party races, even in their own states.

Why, two weeks later, would a supporter of that candidate – who had already given the maximum $4,200 to his man – then make a $6,000 contribution back to Maine?

And finally, why would this same sham have been repeated in two other states?

All coincidence? This thing not only looks like a duck, it waddles and quacks. We cry fowl!

This is contribution laundering, plain and simple. While Colwell may deny the connection, his denials don’t pass the straight-face test.

Simply put, the Rhode Island donor wanted to give more than he was allowed under law, and he found a way to do it – trying to conceal his contributions by running them through party offices in other states.

We’re trying to remain open-minded about this case. Perhaps further investigation will somehow show that Bready’s three contributions were entirely unconnected to the money his candidate received from distant places like Maine and Hawaii.

But we’re not holding our breath.