Some may call it “toxic”, but Mr Matt Gaetz may just be “stronger than yesterday”.
The Florida congressman is requesting that the House Judiciary Committee hold a hearing on court orders, specifically referring to the #FreeBritney movement.
Gaetz – who, in addition to being a huge fan of Donald Trump, is apparently a longtime fan of Spears – is fighting for the pop star to be released from his legal guardianship, as part of his request for Congress to hold a hearing on the due guardianship process.
In a letter to Congressman Jerry Nadler, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, Gaetz and Congressman Jim Jordan mention the recent documentary produced by the New York Times, “Framing Britney Spears”, which brought the tutelage of the Princess of Pop directly into the spotlight.
“The House Judiciary Committee is charged with safeguarding the rights guaranteed to Americans under the United States Constitution. These rights include free will to guide their own affairs and legal autonomy over their finances. When situations suggest unfair deprivation of those rights by the government, we have an obligation to supervise and explore possible solutions “, states the letter.
“In recent years, there has been a growing public concern about the use of guardianships to effectively deprive individuals of their personal freedoms at the behest of others through the manipulation of the courts,” continues the letter, presented on March 8.
“The most striking example is perhaps the case of multi-platinum artist Britney Spears,” wrote Gaetz and Jordan.
The letter draws attention specifically to Spears’ father, Jamie Spears, who is his co-conservator. Through court appearances and legal letters from the attorney appointed by the star, Spears noted that he is “afraid” of his father and refuses to act again until his father is no longer in charge of his career.
“The facts and circumstances that gave rise to this agreement remain in dispute, but involve questionable motives and legal tactics by his now conservative father, Jamie Spears,” says the letter, later stating that despite the musician’s “appeals” , his father remains a conservator of his property.
At a hearing held a few days after the documentary premiered, a judge dismissed Spears’ father’s objections to a joint custody order, while denying the star’s request to remove his father entirely from custody. Jamie Spears remains co-conservative, along with the Bessemer Trust Co.
“It is no secret that my client does not want her father to be a co-conservative, but we recognize that removal is a separate matter,” said the singer’s lawyer, addressing the court at a hearing last month.
In the letter, Gaetz writes: “Mrs. Spears is not alone … Given the constitutional freedoms at stake and the opacity of these arrangements, it is up to our Committee to convene a hearing to examine whether Americans are unjustly imprisoned in conservatories.”
Spears’ guardianship has been the subject of controversy since 2008, when the star was placed in the court-ordered settlement. With the recent documentary, public interest exploded and Spears received wide support from legions of fans around the world, as well as A-list celebrities such as Howard Stern, Kim Kardashian West and Sarah Jessica Parker, who spoke out publicly against The Guardianship Spears, since he was attending the doctor.
Now that the Spears situation is becoming a federal problem, it may finally be time for #FreeBritney.