[homoe]

Nancy Pelosi says her visit to a hair salon was a 'setup.' Stylist backs her up!

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday she was set up by a San Francisco salon where she was videotaped not wearing a face mask after getting her hair washed, in violation of the city’s coronavirus restrictions. “This salon owes me an apology,” Pelosi said in response to questions from reporters at the end of a news conference on the Democrats' proposed coronavirus relief act that is stalled in the Senate. "It was clearly a setup," she said. "I take responsibility for falling for a setup by a neighborhood salon I’ve gone to for many years.”

The eSalon's owner, Erica Kious, denied Pelosi's claim. She said that her salon has been closed for months because of the pandemic and that she found Pelosi's remarks "hurtful." "I just thought about, you know, my staff and people not being able to work and make money and provide for their families. And if she's in there comfortably, without a mask and feeling safe, then why are we shut down?" Kious told Fox News' Tucker Carlson on Wednesday evening.

Less than two hours later, Jonathan DeNardo, the stylist who blew out Pelosi's hair, released a statement through an attorney contradicting Kious. The statement says the law firm is in possession of photographs and videotape that show that Kious has been operating her salon in violation of state and local restrictions since April. The statement also says that Kious authorized Pelosi coming to the salon for her blow out, and that she was critical of the House speaker because she erroneously believed Pelosi was behind the restrictions that shut down her salon. (The rules were put in place by Gov. Gavin Newsom and San Francisco Mayor London Breed.)

"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 statement says. "The fact that Ms. Kious is now objecting to Speaker Pelosi’s presence at eSalon, and from a simple surface-level review of Ms. Kious’ political leanings, it appears Ms. Kious is furthering a set-up of Speaker Pelosi for her own vain aspirations."

The brouhaha began on Monday, when security camera footage at the eSalon showed Pelosi inside, passing by with wet hair and a mask wrapped around her neck and being trailed by a hair stylist who was wearing a mask. Kious gave the footage to Fox News, which first reported the story Tuesday.

The images prompted a torrent of criticism Wednesday that Pelosi and other Democrats were hypocritical for placing restrictions on Americans that they themselves are unwilling to follow.

President Trump was among the Republicans who weighed in.

“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,” Trump tweeted Wednesday morning. “We will almost certainly take back the House, and send Nancy packing!”

Businesses such as hair salons are subject to a patchwork of regulations in California, based in part on how severe the coronavirus crisis is in the counties and cities where they are based. In San Francisco, hair salons were not allowed to do any business on Monday, but as of Tuesday they are allowed to offer services outdoors. The state requires Californians to wear face masks outside the home when social distancing isn't possible.

Sidebar: Forgive me I'm a butch, but how would one get a shampoo and blow-out outside? Doesn't that defeat the whole purpose?