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Winston Peters' accusation the Maori Party betrayed him has been hotly denied by the party, which says it came under political pressure from Labour to vote in his favour.
Mr Peters told Radio Waatea that Maori MPs had said publicly they would back him in the privileges committee inquiry into the $100,000 donation from businessman Owen Glenn.
But when Parliament censured Mr Peters yesterday for failing to declare the $100,000 that was used to pay the fees of his lawyer Brian Henry, the Maori Party was among those to vote against him.
The committee said the evidence showed that Mr Peters knew about the donation, despite his ongoing protestations of ignorance.
National, the Greens, the Maori Party, ACT, United Future and independents Gordon Copeland and Taito Phillip Field backed the censure motion, with Labour and NZ First opposed.
Jim Anderton broke ranks with Labour and abstained.
The Maori Party had taken part in "treachery" against him, Mr Peters said. He had been shocked that Maori would not back Maori.
However, today Maori Party co-leader Pita Sharples said his party's stance was not about Mr Peters but "accountability and integrity" which was important to all MPs.
"All of us in the Maori Party have deliberately refrained from criticising Mr Peters in the public arena," Dr Sharples said.
"In addition, both my co-leader Tariana Turia and I have offered our personal best wishes to Winston to see him through this inquiry."
The party had not jumped to any conclusions and considered the evidence carefully. On the balance of evidence it had agreed that Mr Peters had known about the donation and should have declared it.
Dr Sharples said he was not only taken aback by the personal attack from Winston Peters, but was disappointed at the personal lobbying by a NZ First staffer and a government minister over the past weekend to influence the Maori Party's decision prior to the vote.
"Both Tariana Turia and myself were disgusted with this kind of activity, aimed at perverting the course of justice and fair play."
Mr Peters said in the interview all those who voted to censure him had not got the facts right or were politically motivated.
The Greens had voted against him because NZ First had shut them out of government after 2005, United Future because it went with the political wind and Mr Peters said he had no idea about Mr Field's position but it appeared he "did not understand loyalty".
Throughout the interview Mr Peters maintained he did not know about the donation until Mr Henry told him about it in July
"I will go to my deathbed saying that, because it is true," Mr Peters said.
- NZPA
