E-mails filed in court as part of the Jack Abramoff probe detail a steam of gifts to a former staffer for Sen. Thad Cochran(R-Mississippi).

Ann Copland worked for Cochran for three decades. She was wooed by Abramoff and his associates in order to secure legislative favors for the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and other clients, according to the e-mails.

"[S]he's more valuable to us than a rank and file house member," an e-mail to Abramoff stated.

Copland abruptly left Copland's office last year to work for the Mississippi Public Broadcasting, although she continued to receive her Senate salary for a period of time. She has since returned to the Washington, D.C., area to deal with the investigation, the Associated Press reported.

Get the Story:
THE INFLUENCE GAME: Scandal hits close to senator (AP 2/11)

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