SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi briefly addressed her hair controversy that developed after she got her hair done inside a San Francisco salon — before the city allowed salons to operate indoors.

Pelosi said the hair salon, that she says she’s been going to for years, set her up. She added that the salon owes her an apology.

Surveillance video that circulated online showed Pelosi inside the “E” Salon Monday on Union Street.

KRON has learned the video shows Pelosi with wet hair inside the salon, not wearing a mask.

“I take responsibility for trusting the word of a neighborhood salon that I’ve been to over the years many times,” she said Wednesday while addressing reporters in the city. “When they said they were able to accommodate people one person at a time, I trusted that.”

“As it turns out – it was a setup,” she added. “So I take responsibility for falling for a setup.”

The lawyer representing Jonathan DeNardo, the San Francisco cosmetologist that reportedly serviced Pelosi, released a statement Wednesday evening.

The statement reads:

“In response to press inquiries on the matter, Mr. DeNardo can confirm that he indeed did provide professional stylist services to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (CA) on August 31, 2020, at the “eSalon,” located at 2288 Union Street in San Francisco, California. Mr. DeNardo, at all times, took all requisite safety measures throughout his appointment with Speaker Pelosi, including sanitation of all service areas and wearing of CDC-recommended protective equipment, and thereafter ensured the premises were similarly sanitized following Speaker Pelosi’s departure.

Mr. DeNardo has worked at eSalon for approximately six (6) years and regularly communicates with the salonowner, Erica Kious. In fact, Mr. DeNardo received advance approval from Ms. Kious the day prior to theappointment during a telephone discussion on August 29, 2020 at 9:26 pm, wherein Mr. DeNardo advised Ms.Kious that he would not proceed with Speaker Pelosi’s appointment without Ms. Kious’ authorization. Ms. Kioustook special interest in the appointment during this telephone call, wherein she made several vitriolic andincendiary comments about Speaker Pelosi and her purported responsibility for temporarily suspendingoperations of Ms. Kious’ business, despite such orders actually being put into place not by Speaker Pelosi, but by Governor Gavin Newsome and San Francisco Mayor London Breed. Ultimately, Ms. Kious authorized Mr.
DeNardo to proceed with Speaker Pelosi’s appointment.

This office is in possession of photographs, videos and witness information that Ms. Kious, contrary to her priorstatements to the press, has actually been operating her business during the stay-at-home orders and similarexecutive orders limiting in-store operations since as far back as April 2020. Ms. Kious is seen on photographsand video footage styling various clients’ hair, ignoring social distancing guidelines, and not wearing protectiveequipment (masks), as recently as a few days prior to Speaker Pelosi’s arrival at eSalon on August 31, 2020.What’s more, Ms. Kious has also been actively encouraging and almost forcing stylists who operate at eSalon to
violate such orders for her own financial benefit in the form of receiving lease payments.

The fact that Ms. Kious is now objecting to Speaker Pelosi’s presence at eSalon, and from a simple surface-levelreview of Ms. Kious’ political leanings, it appears Ms. Kious is furthering a set-up of Speaker Pelosi for her ownvain aspirations. Mr. DeNardo’s name has now been dragged through the mud for simply following Ms. Kious’recommendations; he wishes to move forward with his efforts to earn an income and asks that his privacy be respected during this time. Further inquiries may be directed to press@soleimanlaw.com.

Matthew Soleimanpour, Esq., PARTNER, SOLEIMAN APC

Tuesday was the first day salons and barbershops were allowed to reopen for outdoor services.

The speaker didn’t further address the matter.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed also addressed the situation on Wednesday.

After defending the speaker, Breed took shots at President Donald Trump and the administration.

“It’s really unfortunate with everything happening in this country — with the fact that we basically have a dictator in charge of running this country and we have our speaker, Nancy Pelosi, working day and night to try and fight against those challenges we have with the White House,” Breed said.
“She has spent her entire career working for this city and working for this country — it’s unfortunate that this conversation has blown up in the way that it has and distracted us from the real issue. The fact is we don’t have good, solid federal leadership that is helping to facilitate this COVID response. And over 180,000 Americans have died as a result of this virus.”

The mayor said there are bigger issues to focus on.

“We have bigger issues as it relates to this country. And I have a tremendous amount of respect and appreciation for the hard work that Nancy Pelosi does every single day to take care of this city and this country,” she added.

The hair appointment caught president Donald Trump’s attention..tweeting, “Crazy Nancy Pelosi is being decimated for having a beauty parlor opened, when all others are closed, and for not wearing a mask – despite constantly lecturing everyone else. We will almost certainly take back the House, and send Nancy packing!”

We reached out to the salon owner several times but have not heard back.

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