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VICTORIA — Amid much huffing and puffing, the New Democrats and the B.C. Liberals went at it during question period in the legislature Tuesday over allegations that some lobbyists have made dodgy political donations.

Self-inflicted allegations, one has to emphasize. The lobbyists themselves confessed to reporter Kathy Tomlinson of the Globe and Mail that they made donations in their own names and then secured reimbursement from clients.

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Those reports prompted an investigation by Elections B.C., stealth contributions being a violation of election law.

But reports that the investigation would exclusively target the B.C. Liberal party and its donors, prompted an immediate clarification from Chief Electoral officer Keith Archer.

“That’s not the way that I understand the investigation,” the independent watchdog on elections told Rob Shaw of The Vancouver Sun. “It is one that involves donors to political parties. There’s no limitation at all from my perspective on which political parties are subject to that review.”