Britney Spears has revealed she was invited by members of Congress to meet and discuss her much-publicised conservatorship, which was finally terminated after 13 years in 2021.
Yesterday (February 16), Spears shared a screenshot of a letter sent to her from two members of Congress, Florida’s Charlie Crist and California’s Eric Swalwell, on her Instagram account.
Dated December 1, 2021, the letter begins by congratulating Spears and her lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, on their “historic victories” following her conservatorship’s termination on November 12.
Crist and Swalwell go on to say they were “elated” when Spears’ father, Jamie, was suspended as her conservator last September, and again when the conservatorship ended entirely. The letter then acknowledges the issues present in many conservatorships that Spears’ case helped spotlight.
“Especially troubling was news that, for years, you were unable to hire your own counsel to represent your personal and financial interests,” it reads. “Other issues surrounding the initial petition, the eventual permanence of the conservatorship, and being forced to engage in employment against your will, are all equaling [sic] concerning.”
Crist and Swalwell then personally invite Spears and her counsel to meet with them in Congress to “describe in your own words how you achieved justice”, adding that they “would appreciate learning more about the emotional and financial turmoil you faced within the conservatorship system”.
Captioning the letter, Spears said that she received the letter at a time when she “wasn’t nearly at the healing stage I’m in now”, and that she “felt heard and like I mattered for the first time in my life” as a result.
“In a world where your own family goes against you, it’s actually hard to find people that get it and show empathy,” she continued – likely referring to both her father Jamie and her sister Jamie Lynn, to whom Spears issued a cease and desist letter last month after Jamie Lynn spoke “derogatorily” about her sister while promoting her new memoir, Things I Should Have Said.
Spears added that she wants “to help others in vulnerable situations, take life by the balls and be brave”. It remains unclear whether Spears plans to meet with Congress in future.
Last month, during a formal hearing in Los Angeles, judge Brenda Penny ruled that Spears should have control over her money, and refused to allow funds from Spears’ conservatorship to be set aside to pay her father’s seven-figure legal fees related to the conservatorship challenge.
Back in December, Jamie requested his daughter be liable for the fees, with his attorneys claiming “prompt payment” of the fees were required in order for the conservatorship to be “wound up quickly and efficiently to allow Britney to take control of her life as she and Jamie desire”.
It currently remains unclear whether Spears will eventually be required to cover her father’s legal fees, however. A second hearing on the issue is scheduled for March 16, with another set aside for July 27.
The post Britney Spears reveals she was invited by US Congress to discuss conservatorship appeared first on NME.
