Republican reps rally behind Britney Spears as they seek hearing on conservatorships

Invoking Britney Spears and the spirit of the #FreeBritney movement, two Republican congressman are calling on the House Judiciary Committee to hold a hearing on conservatorships. At a status hearing in February, the first one since the #FreeBritney documentary “Framing Britney Spears” aired on FX and Hulu, the probate court in L.A. County decided that coconservator Bessemer Trust could control the “Toxic” singer’s investments, rather than father Jamie Spears. “The facts and circumstances giving rise to this arrangement remain in dispute but involve questionable motives and legal tactics by her father and now-conservator, Jamie Spears,” the congressmen wrote in their letter, which closed with the statement, “Given the constitutional freedoms at stake and opaqueness of these arrangements, it is incumbent upon our committee to convene a hearing to examine whether Americans are trapped unjustly in conservatorships.” Jordan and Gaetz cited statements from the American Civil Liberties Union in their argument to call a hearing, saying that in recent years there has been “growing public concern about the use of conservatorships to effectively deprive individuals of personal freedoms at the behest of others through the manipulation of the courts.” Financial exploitation often goes unnoticed, they stated, citing a Department of Justice study. A new doc shows why it’s so powerful Applying the rigor of “Frontline” to the story of her conservatorship, “Framing Britney Spears” is a pointed work of criticism aimed at celebrity culture. I won’t be going into details because I’ve always respected our privacy but at the same time I didn’t come to this country to not be able to express my opinion and freedom.” “Britney was the most powerful popular pop star in the world and this conservatorship process abused her, has her where she can’t vote, can’t get married, can’t work fairly, barely,” Gaetz told a TMZ videographer Tuesday in Washington, D.C. “And if it can happen to Britney Spears, it can happen to anyone.” Gaetz said he watched “Framing Britney Spears” and was “triggered” by what he saw as a violation of due process, among other things.