OTTAWA—Former Conservative Sen. Mike Duffy talked with Prime Minister Stephen Harper about his expense situation in mid-February, shortly after the senator’s expense claims had been sent out for investigation by independent auditors, the Prime Minister’s Office reveals.

Duffy, who was still a member of the Conservative caucus at the time, approached Harper after a caucus meeting in which the prime minister had laid down the law with his MPs and senators on expenses, according to a source familiar with what was said in the room.

Without mentioning Duffy specifically, Harper had told his caucus that no one should be claiming expenses they didn’t incur.

“Mr. Duffy approached the prime minister in the caucus room regarding the situation with his expenses. The PM was adamant that he should repay any inappropriate expenses,” Andrew MacDougall, the prime minister’s spokesperson, said Friday.

“This was the only time Duffy raised expenses with the PM.”

Duffy’s approach to Harper came a few days after a Senate committee sent his expense claims to auditors for investigation. By Feb. 22, Duffy was saying he planned to repay questionable expenses.

Amid charges of a coverup, the question of who knew what about Duffy’s finances has become vital.

Harper’s former chief of staff, Nigel Wright, resigned after it emerged he secretly wrote a $90,172 cheque so Duffy could repay the government on March 25.

Harper says he knew nothing about it, but opposition MPs are demanding more information on the role of the PMO.

Having repaid $90,172, Duffy refused co-operation with auditors. And Conservative senators discussed what to do about Duffy’s expenses with Wright during the audit. In mid-May, a Conservative-dominated Senate committee wrote a report that went easy on Duffy over his improper expense claims.

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