Nancy Pelosi’s daughter releases law firm's letter insisting that salon set her mother up

Nancy Pelosi's daughter, Christine Pelosi, has released a letter from a law firm representing the California cosmetologist who provided stylist services to the House speaker on Monday during a COVID-19 lockdown.

In its letter, the law firm accused the salon owner of engaging in a setup.

What's a brief history here?

On Tuesday, reports emerged that Nancy Pelosi requested an appointment at the San Francisco-area salon despite statewide restrictions on such services due to the coronavirus pandemic.

In footage of the visit, Pelosi can be seen in the salon without a mask.

The salon owner said that Pelosi's visit was a "slap in the face" considering she has been unable to open her salon for months due to lockdown restrictions. The owner also pointed out that the House speaker "feels that she can just go and get her stuff done while no one else can go in, and I can't work."

Pelosi on Wednesday complained that the salon set her up, and said the owner owes her an apology over the criticism she faced.

"I take responsibility for trusting the word of the neighborhood salon that I've been to over the years many times," Pelosi said. "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."

What are the details?

The letter, from attorney Matthew Soleimanpour, accused eSalon owner Erica Kious of setting up cosmetologist Jonathan De Nardo, Pelosi's stylist.

A portion of the letter 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 … 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," the letter adds.

Soleimanpour adds that DeNardo — who has worked at eSalon for approximately six years — received approval from Kious to book an appointment with Pelosi.

Kious on Wednesday told Fox News that she did not engage in any type of setup at all.

"[Pelosi] had called the stylist, or her assistant did, and made the appointment, so the appointment was already booked, so there was no way I could've set that up," Kious said. "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 to set her up. So that's absolutely false."

The letter notes, "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 [sic] and San Francisco Mayor London Breed."

Despite the alleged remarks, Kious reportedly permitted DeNardo to follow through with styling Pelosi.

"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."

Anything else?

Such photographs purport to show Kious refusing to follow social distancing requirements as well as refusing to adhere to mask-wearing guidelines.

"What's more," the letter continues, "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 letter concludes, "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."