‘It was a setup’: Pelosi refuses to apologize for visit to hair salon

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday she was the victim of a “setup” when she was caught on camera visiting a San Francisco hair salon shuttered by the coronavirus for a shampoo that landed her in hot water with Republicans.

“It was a setup, and I take responsibility for falling for a setup,” Pelosi told reporters during a visit Wednesday to Mission Education Center Elementary School.

“I take responsibility for trusting the word of the neighborhood salon that I’ve been to over the years many times when they said, ‘We’re able to accommodate people one person at a time.’ ”

The San Francisco Democrat caused an uproar among conservative critics Tuesday after Fox News posted security camera footage it obtained of Pelosi visiting eSalon on Union Street on Monday. The clip showed Pelosi without a mask on, walking inside the salon.

On Monday, San Francisco hair salons and barbershops were still forbidden from operating, and only received the green light to open outdoors, starting Tuesday, a day after Pelosi’s visit. While indoor operations have resumed in some counties like San Mateo to the south, they have not in San Francisco.

But instead of apologizing Wednesday for breaking the rules, Pelosi said: “I think that this salon owes me an apology, for setting me up.”

The salon has not responded to interview requests from the Mercury News.