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Britney Spears Goes to Washington?

“There is no doubt that your story will empower countless others outside the millions that are already inspired by you.”
Britney Spears was invited to speak about conservatorships at Congress.
Britney Spears was invited to speak about conservatorships at Congress. (Photo by Axelle / Bauer-Griffin / FilmMagic)

Months after finally being freed from a conservatorship that ruled her life for more than a decade, Britney Spears is going to Washington, D.C. to talk about it. Maybe.

On Wednesday, Spears shared a letter from Reps. Charlie Crist, of Florida, and Eric Swalwell, of California, on Instagram, where the two Democrats invited the pop icon and her lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, to meet with them to speak about her release from the conservatorship

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“There is no doubt that your story will empower countless others outside the millions that are already inspired by you and your art,” Crist and Swalwell wrote. They highlighted several elements of Spears’ very public fight to escape her conservatorship—such as Spears’ apparent inability to choose her own lawyer and Spears’ allegation that she was forced to work against her will—as issues they found “concerning.” 

Spears started to publicly campaign against the conservatorship last summer, when she gave explosive court testimony that painted the legal arraignment as abusive and exploitative. Soon afterward, Spears was allowed to hire Rosengart as her attorney. Rosengart moved swiftly to extract Spears from the control of her father, James Spears, who served as the longtime conservator of the singer’s $30 million estate. (James Spears has denied all wrongdoing.) 

Last November, a Los Angeles judge put an end to Spears’ conservatorship for good.

The #FreeBritney movement dragged the shadowy conservatorship, or guardianship, system into the spotlight. There is no comprehensive total of how many people in the United States are locked into guardianships, but a Buzzfeed News investigation last year estimated that as many as 200,000 adult guardianship cases are filed annually.

In her Instagram post, Spears said that she received the letter months ago.

“I was immediately flattered and at the time I wasn’t nearly at the healing stage I’m in now,” she wrote, peppering her post with emojis. “Because of the letter, I felt heard and like I mattered for the first time in my life!!! In a world where your own family goes against you, it’s actually hard to find people that get it and show empathy!!!!”

It is not clear if Spears intends to meet with Crist and Swalwell.