'I take responsibility': Nancy Pelosi believes she was 'set up' by San Francisco hair salon

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ByKate Larsen KGO logo
Thursday, September 3, 2020
Pelosi says she believes SF hair salon visit was a 'setup'
Pelosi says she believes SF hair salon visit was a 'setup'House Speaker Nancy Pelosi responded to the blow up about her Monday blow out in a San Francisco salon, saying she doesn't owe anyone an apologyand that she was "set up".

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi responded to the blow up about her Monday blow out in a San Francisco salon, saying she doesn't owe anyone an apology and that she was "set up".

On Wednesday, while Speaker Pelosi was at an event, she commented on the video that came out Tuesday showing her inside eSalon on Union Street in Cow Hollow.

Indoor hair services are still prohibited under San Francisco health orders.

"I take responsibility for trusting the word of a neighborhood salon that I've been to over the years many times," said Pelosi. "When they said we're able to accommodate one person at a time and that we could setup at that time, I trusted that. As it turns out, it was a setup."

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The focus of the event at Mission Education Center Elementary was supposed to be on the HEROES Act and the need for funding for schools and students during the pandemic. But Pelosi's message was largely overshadowed by her decision to get a blowout.

"She makes rules! Why would she even consider bending them a little bit," asked Carlos Muela, who owns SOMA Street Food Park. On Wednesday, he opened the space as an outdoor barbershop, since indoor salon services are not scheduled to reopen in San Francisco until the end of September.

"She could have come here today," Muela exclaimed, pointing to a row of covered barber stalls set up outside in his park. "She's too important of a person to make silly mistakes like that."

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San Francisco barber, Bryce Ward, had a message for Pelosi. "Nancy Pelosi - I feel disrespected."

Ward hasn't been to his barbershop since March.

Ward said, "For COVID to go away, we have to comply with rules."

"I feel like you owe the service industry an apology," said Ward about Pelosi.

When ABC7 News reporter, Kate Larsen, told Speaker Pelosi that Ward thought she owed the service industry an apology, Pelosi responded by saying, "well I don't. I think this salon owes me an apology for setting me up. I will say this in fairness to him, and to be sympathetic to him, we have to get our country moving again."

After she spoke about the importance of face coverings, Pelosi explained why she wasn't wearing a mask in the salon. "That picture is when I just came out of the bowl."

"I don't wear a mask when I'm washing my hair. Do you wear a mask when you're washing your hair," asked Pelosi to the news crews covering the event.

"We have bigger issues as it relates to this country," said Mayor London Breed while announcing a new citywide mask-wearing campaign.

WATCH: SF nail, hair salons can reopen for outdoor services, Mayor London Breed says

Nail, salons, hair salons and barbershops will be able to reopen for outdoor services in San Francisco next Tuesday, Mayor London Breed announced Friday morning.

"We basically have a dictator running this country and we have our Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, working day and night to try and fight against the challenges we have with the White House," said Breed who came to Pelosi's defense.

"It's unfortunate that this conversation has kind of blown up in the way that it has."

Trump called Pelosi "crazy" on Twitter, tweeting that she's "being decimated... for not wearing a mask - despite constantly lecturing everyone else."

In another tweet, Trump suggested "the beauty parlor owner must really dislike Crazy Nancy Pelosi. Turning her in, on tape, is a really big deal.

The salon owner, Erica Kious, who ABC7 reached out to, originally provided the video to Fox News.

Soleiman, APC the firm representing Jonathan DeNardo, a stylist at eSalon who admitted to providing his service to Pelosi, released the following statement on his behalf:

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