MEAWW.COM / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

Nancy Pelosi's daughter calls backlash 'setup', defends mom's San Francisco salon visit with letter from stylist

The stylist who served Nancy at San Francisco-based eSalon, said that the cosmetologist and his client had permission from the owner of the salon to be there

House speaker Nancy Pelosi's daughter defended her mother's decision to get her hair done at a San Francisco salon amid the coronavirus lockdown, which created a huge storm of backlash against the politician after photos of her walking around the facility with wet hair and no face mask emerged.

Christine Pelosi tweeted a letter on Wednesday, September 2, from the attorneys of Jonathan Denardo, the stylist who served Nancy at San Francisco-based eSalon last month, which stated that the cosmetologist and his client had permission from the owner of the salon to be there. "A shame folks editorialized without actually sharing from the stylist. #Setup" Christine captioned the post. 

Containing the letterhead of the law firm, Solemain APC, the letter stated that Denardo followed protocols and mandates put in place by the city of San Francisco, throughout the appointment with Nancy on August 31. the stylist had worked at eSalon for over six years and regularly communicated with the establishment’s owner Erica Kious, which continued during the coronavirus pandemic that affected the way the business operated. In compliance with newly established guidelines, Kious received a phone call on August 29 from Nancy's team, which sought permission from the establishment's owner for Nancy to come in and have her hair done. During the call, it was explicitly stated that the appointment wouldn’t proceed unless the owner was okay with it.

The letter claimed that despite the verbal agreement, the salon owner went on to say several disparaging things about Nancy. We previously reported that Kious told Fox News – the outlet which broke the news – that she blamed Nancy for having to shut down amid the ongoing health crisis, which saw her having her clientele reduced by 60%. ''I have been fighting for six months for a business that took me 12 years to build to reopen. I am a single mom, I have two small children, and I have no income," she said. “The fact that they did this, and she came in, it’s like a slap in the face.”

She added, “To be honest it was more hurtful. She’s been coming in for quite a while and just to see her come in and not wear a mask is what got to me", further noting that if Nancy can come in without a mask why can’t she have regular customers or why are the establishments asked to be shut down. Also, when asked if her business was open for service, she said “no".

This statement of Kious was countered by Denardo's lawyer in the letter which stated that the establishment didn’t open especially and only for Nancy. He said his law firm was in possession of photographs and videos that proved that it was in operation long before she was seen at the location. The release by the law firm came after Nancy and her camp claimed that the entire incident was "a setup" to paint her in a negative light by her political rivals. "I take responsibility for trusting the word of a neighborhood salon that I've been to over the years, many times, and that when they said we're able to accommodate people, one person at a time, and that we can set up that time, I trusted that. As it turns out, it was a setup. So I take responsibility for falling for a setup," the California Democrat said during a press conference at an event in San Francisco. She also demanded an apology from the salon for setting her up. 

President Donald Trump was among the many people who rebuked the speaker for getting her hair done amid a pandemic when the businesses are closed. ''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!'' he tweeted on Wednesday.