Four Republican lawmakers in the House have asked Britney Spears to testify before Congress amid the pop start’s conservatorship battle.
The story: Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), Burgess Owens (R-OH), and Andy Biggs (R-AZ) sent a letter to Spears inviting her to speak before Congress about her conservatorship in hopes that her story will inspire “bipartisan action.”
The letter: “You have been mistreated by America’s legal system. We want to help. The United States Congress should hear your story and be inspired to bipartisan action. What happened to you should never happen to any other American. Congress can make things better, and you can inform our policy decisions. If you will speak to Congress, we are ready to listen,” the lawmakers wrote.
The Republicans noted that they “could see the obvious financial, emotional and psychological abuse at the hands of your conservators” and that they have been following Spears’ efforts to remove her father from her conservatorship “with deep concern.”
“The federal courthouse door was closed to you and to too many Americans. Your story is so powerful, and the admiration of your achievements so great, you (and perhaps only you) can blow that door wide open, giving hope to millions. Your life, liberty, and happiness have been taken from you. Please take advantage of the empowerment that public congressional testimony can unlock,” the letter reads.
“You owe nothing to anyone; you deserve to live a life of freedom and to choose your own path,” the lawmakers continued. “Many others have used their fame to advance social, political, and criminal justice reform. We hope you will choose to accept our invitation to express your interest in speaking to Congress and to America for
the sake of the justice you and many Americans deserve.”
“We stand with you, Britney – whatever you decide,” the letter concludes.
Meanwhile, Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Bob Casey (D-PA) sent a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice, asking for information about data on guardianships.
Warren and Casey pointed to Spears’ case.
“Ms. Spears’ case has shined a light on longstanding concerns from advocates who have underscored the potential for financial and civil rights abuses of individuals placed under guardianship or conservatorship,” the senators wrote, TIME reported.
“Despite these concerns, comprehensive data regarding guardianship (referred to as conservatorship in some states) in the United States are substantially lacking—hindering policymakers and advocates’ efforts to understand gaps and abuses in the system and find ways to address them,” the letter continued.
“While guardians and conservators often serve selflessly and in the best interest of the person under guardianship, a lack of resources for court oversight and insufficient due process in guardianship proceedings can create significant opportunities for neglect, exploitation, and abuse,” the letter added.
How we got here: Jamie Spears, the pop singer’s father, has managed his daughter’s conservatorship since 2008. Spears, who is now 38-years-old, broke silence last week in remarks she delivered before a Los Angeles Superior Court judge. She sought to have her father dropped as a conservator as her court-appointed lawyer, Sam Ingham claimed she was “afraid of her father.”
In remarks before the court, Spears described her conservatorship as “abusive” and alleged that she was prescribed high dosages of lithium against her will. The singer claimed that she wanted to have more children but that her team did not allow her to see a doctor and have an IUD contraceptive device removed. She also said that she is constantly working.
“I shouldn’t be in a conservatorship if I can work and provide money and work for myself and pay other people. It makes no sense,” Spears said. “What state allows people to own another person’s money and account and threaten them in saying, ‘You can’t spend your money unless we do what we want you to do’? I’m paying them.”
The judge rejected Spears’ request to remove her father from her conservatorship but said that Bessemer Trust Company of California can be added as co-conservator.
Worth noting: In March, Gaetz and Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) asked the House Judiciary Committee chair Jerry Nadler to hold a hearing on conservatorship, citing Spears’ case.
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