Lutfi: Helping Britney a "Moral Obligation"

Lutfi: Helping Britney a "Moral Obligation"
Los Angeles (E! Online) - No one else may understand why he has given Britney Spears his undivided attention, but manager Sam Lutfi hasn't given it a second thought. When it comes to being by Spears' side during this obvious time of need, Lutfi exclusively told E! News' Ryan Seacrest he feels "like I have a moral obligation."

"You meet her and she cries, and she begs you not to turn on her," Lutfi said in an emotional phone call to Seacrest, which took place at roughly 8:15 p.m. Thursday night. "You would do the same for any of your sisters. I have three sisters—I would do the same for them."

By becoming a near-permanent fixture in Spears' entourage in recent months, Lutfi has subjected himself to no end of scrutiny, not least of which with regard to what he's getting out of his involvement with the tarnished pop princess.

Despite tabloid reports to the contrary, Lutfi says she has never paid him, he has never sold any photos of her and he has "never accepted money from the media...not a dollar." Lutfi said that a "major magazine" once sent him a basket of food, but that he sent it back to the publication.

And while Spears' parents continue to cast doubt on him and object to his intervention in their daughter's life, they're the ones who are "incapable of telling the truth and incapable of sympathizing," Lutfi said, adding that "they're more concerned about money and their own image than Britney's condition."

"[I have] no more respect for the family," he said, adding that he's through trying to keep the peace.

Last night, Lutfi was again on the Britney beat, purchasing, per Spears' request, a cheeseburger and fries from In-N-Out burger, which he delivered back to the hospital. Spears, however, spent the night alone in her room.

Sources close to the situation previously told E! News that mother Lynne Spears was initially against Lutfi's plan to have Spears hospitalized. It was reportedly Lutfi who arranged with Spears' psychiatrist and her lawyers to have the 26-year-old transported early Thursday morning to UCLA Medical Center, where she underwent a psychological evaluation later in the day.

However, a source close to the Spears family has stepped up in defense of the villainized mother, saying she was of course concerned for her daughter but was never made aware of the severity of the situation.

"Lynne didn't know the extent of what was going on with Britney," the source told E! News. "She was really afraid and confused about what was going on. She was really concerned about the well-being of her daughter."

She's also concerned, the source said, about Lutfi's role in her daughter's life.

"Britney's mom wants to keep Sam Lutfi as far away from her family as possible. Sam has been saying mean things about Lynne Spears and they do not like each other."

She was admitted and placed under a 5150 hold, meaning the "Toxic" singer is a possible danger to herself or others.

The Spears family at first barred Lutfi from the hospital waiting room, but he was eventually allowed to enter.

"Lynne is glad Britney is being treated. This has always been her wish and Jamie's wish," a source told E! News earlier Thursday. "She just wishes that Sam wasn't the one in control and wants him to step aside. This is a family matter."