An embattled Republican senator says mistreatment accusations leveled against her have spawned from a drawn-out campaign by some colleagues to ruin her good name.

Sen. Pam Roach claims GOP officials grew to dislike her after she flagged emails in the Senate system a decade ago that referenced gay sex. She said some Republican leaders at the time seemed to intimidate her to keep quiet about that correspondence. And she says she also drew that ire of former Senate Republican Leader Mike Hewitt after campaigning against him for the top post in the caucus.

The Auburn lawmaker says her past run-ins have led to efforts to tarnish her name. She was sanctioned in 2010 after allegations of mistreating staff, and new documents describe a verbal tirade last year in which she cursed during a budget meeting.

A Senate committee lifted sanctions against Roach this week.