Why Is Paris Hilton Thanking Cindy McCain?

Paris Hilton is taking a page out of her friend Kim Kardashian's playbook and getting behind a cause she cares about — and is even taking it straight to Washington. Hilton's cause is not prison reform, but the "troubled teen industry," which refers to boarding schools and camps to which troubled teens get sent away, as well as foster care facilities. Hilton claims these facilities run rife with abuse, and that she herself is a victim of it. "These kids are treated worse than someone would be in prison," she told Good Morning America on October 20. "It's horrifying." Of her experience at a boarding school in Utah as a teen, she said, "It's literal Hell on earth." 

Hilton elaborated on her experience speaking outside the Capitol. "I was strangled, slapped across the face, watched in the shower by male staff, called vulgar names ... and so much more," she said in front of reporters. She also urged policymakers to consider the The Accountability for Congregate Care Act, which is co-sponsored by Sen. Jeff Merkely of Oregon and Rep. Ro Khanna of California, per Rolling Stone. "I urge Congress and President Biden to make this bill the law of the land," Hilton said.

Although the bill was drafted by a group of Democratic lawmakers, Hilton has found herself an ally on the other side of the aisle.

Two days after speaking on Capitol Hill, Paris Hilton tweeted a photo of herself with Cindy McCain, the widow of former presidential candidate John McCain and mother of former "The View" co-host Meghan McCain. In the tweet, Hilton thanked her for voicing support for the Accountability for Congregate Care Act. "You are an incredible champion of women and girls," Hilton wrote. She continued to call for support from both sides of the aisle. "Protecting these children is not political. It is a human rights issue," she pressed. "And all legislators, both Rep and Dem, should stand against child abuse in congregate care."

The alliance between these two women is somewhat ironic. In 2008, John McCain ran an ad comparing Barack Obama to Hilton, who at the time was the ultimate Hollywood it-girl. Hilton jokingly responded to the ad in a since-deleted video from Funny or Die. "That wrinkly, white-haired guy used me in his campaign ad, which I guess means I'm running for president," she said (via KRCG). "So thanks for the endorsement white-haired dude." She then got into the political issues at hand, specifically energy, and suggested a combination of McCain's plan to expand offshore drilling and Obama's plan to explore alternative energy solutions. A McCain spokesman praised Hilton's idea while also taking a dig at Obama. "Paris Hilton might not be as big a celebrity as Barack Obama, but she obviously has a better energy plan," he said.