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Who is Jonathan DeNardo, stylist who did Nancy Pelosi's hair at San Francisco salon?

DeNardo released a statement supporting Pelosi's claim that she had fallen for a 'setup'
UPDATED SEP 3, 2020
(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

The last few days have been tough for Nancy Pelosi after she visited a San Francisco salon to get her hair done. The House Speaker visited eSalon owned by Erica Kious on August 31, despite the government's order to keep businesses shut due to Covid-19. Her visit attracted massive criticism, including unkind words from President Donald Trump.

In her defense, Pelosi said that the whole salon episode was a "setup" by her political rivals to show her in a negative light. The August 31 visit also painted her stylist, Jonathan DeNardo, in a bad light. But DeNardo has also presented his case and backed up Pelosi's claim.

Who is Jonathan DeNardo?

DeNardo is reportedly a lead stylist at eSalon, which is owned by Erica Kious. He has been working there since May 2014. Prior to this, the 42-year-old Pennsylvania-native was an employee at Canvas Hair Studio and also worked at Red Union Salon. The cosmetologist released a statement on Wednesday, September 2, through his lawyer, suggesting Pelosi's visit was a “setup” by Kious. He has also claimed that it was Kious who had given permission to the controversial hair appointment.

“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. Mr DeNardo's name has now been dragged through the mud for simply following Ms Kious' recommendations,” the statement issued by lawyer Matthew Soleimanpour read.

It continued, “Mr DeNardo received advance approval from Ms Kious the day prior to the appointment 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 Kious took special interest in the appointment during this telephone call, wherein she made several vitriolic and incendiary comments about Speaker Pelosi and her purported responsibility for temporarily suspending operations 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.”

The statement also alleged that Kious had been operating her business in April, ignoring the government’s order in the light of the coronavirus pandemic. DeNardo had proof of that. “This office is in possession of photographs, videos and witness information that Ms Kious, contrary to her prior statements to the press, has actually been operating her business during the stay-at-home orders and similar executive orders limiting in-store operations since as far back as April 2020,” it added.

The statement from the stylist came after Pelosi claimed that she fell for a “setup”. “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," she said. In addition, the California Democrat also demanded an apology from the salon owner.

However, Kious denied the allegations and in a phone interview with Fox News said: “We have been shut down for so long, not just me, but most of the small businesses and I just can’t – it’s a feeling – a feeling of being deflated, helpless and honestly beaten down. 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. The fact that they did this, and she came in, it’s like a slap in the face.”

The salon owner added, “[Pelosi] had called the stylist, or her assistant did, and had made the appointment so the appointment was already booked so there was no way I could have set that up. And I've had a camera system in there for five years, I mean I didn't go in there and turn cameras on as soon as she walked in and set her up so that's absolutely false.”

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