Two otherwise detestable Republican congressman are for once on the right side of history (sort of). Representatives Jim Jordan and Matt Gaetz—again, two of the worst ones—have expressed support for Britney Spears as she battles her rigid conservatorship.
In a Tuesday letter to House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler, the two congressmen formally requested a committee hearing dedicated to the issue, arguing that the committee had an obligation to intervene in instances where an individual’s “free will to guide their own affairs” is being infringed on. In the letter, they say Spears’s case wouldn’t be the sole focus of the hypothetical hearing, going on to cite the American Civil Liberties Union’s criticism of the conservatorship system more broadly—probably the first time they’ve ever agreed with the ACLU’s basic principles, since they’re usually the ones seeking to violate them. But she is the “most striking example” of the issue, they argued.
“The most striking example is perhaps the case of multi-platinum performing artist Britney Spears,” the letter reads. “Since 2008, Ms. Spears has been under a court-ordered conservatorship. 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.”
In an interview with Fox News, Gaetz added that Spears would also make for a “great witness” at the hearing, and later went on to post and retweet multiple tweets using the #FreeBritney hashtag.
The obvious reaction to all of this information is: Why? The obvious answer is: opportunism. Bad men know when to seize their moment, because even though they’re always complaining that the zeitgeist is trying to cancel them, they need it to stay relevant.
The #FreeBritney movement is a big tent, but I think it’s fine to expel these two.
