Pelosi claims salon visit was a ‘setup’ [Video]

• Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) claimed that she was “set up” by the salon that accommodated her indoor appointment on Monday.
• The San Francisco salon reportedly told her that they allowed one customer at a time, despite citywide restrictions on salon services.
• The stylist who did Pelosi’s hair backed her claim, saying that the salon’s owner blamed Pelosi for suspending salon operations but ultimately authorized the said appointment.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) stated on Wednesday that her salon visit during citywide restrictions on salon services was a “setup” by the salon.

San Francisco’s guidelines only allowed outdoor services since Tuesday, so all salons should have been closed. But according to Pelosi, eSalon informed her that it allowed indoor services for one customer at a time.

Pelosi explained during a press conference in San Francisco, “I take responsibility for trusting the word of a neighborhood salon that I’ve been to over the years many times.”

“When they said that we’re able to accommodate people one person at a time and that we could set up that time, I trusted that,” she continued. “As it turns out, it was a setup. So I take responsibility for falling for the setup.”

Video footage showing Pelosi without a mask inside the salon was obtained by Fox News on Tuesday.

Pelosi clarified that she had “always” worn a mask and only briefly removed it while a stylist washed her hair during Monday’s appointment.

According to San Francisco’s guidelines, “any service that requires your customer to remove their face covering are not permitted at this time.”

A reporter at the press conference asked Pelosi if she believes she owed service industry workers an apology.

Pelosi answered, “Well, I don’t. I think that this salon owes me an apology for setting up.”

Pelosi added that people in the hair service industry had thanked her for calling attention to it.

Erica Kious, eSalon’s owner, told Fox News that some of the independent stylists who work for her sometimes rent the salon chairs. She added that she “can’t control” what happens during a rental.

Kious claimed that she didn’t know what to do when a stylist informed her about Pelosi’s planned appointment the night before.

Kious added, “It was a slap in the face that she went in, you know, that she feels that she can just go and get her stuff done while no one else can go in, and I can’t work.”

Pelosi’s claim was backed by the stylist who did her hair, however. Jonathan DeNardo issued a statement via attorney late Wednesday, saying that Kious authorized Pelosi’s appointment the night before.

According to the statement, DeNardo waited for Kious’ authorization before proceeding with the appointment, which he got.

The statement added that Kious “took special interest in the appointment during this telephone call,” wherein she blamed Pelosi for suspending her business operations.

The suspensions were ordered by Governor Gavin Newsom and San Francisco Mayor London Breed, however, not by Pelosi.

Source: The Hill