Nancy Pelosi claims she was 'set up' by San Francisco salon
House Speaker Pelosi says salon owner owes her an apology; reaction on 'The Greg Gutfeld Show.'
A top official in Placer County, Calif. sent a letter to San Francisco salon owner Erica Kious inviting her to open a salon there, after the owner was forced to shut her doors following a controversy with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The letter, written by Board of Supervisors Chair Bonnie Gore, was sent to Kious, owner of eSalon, Tuesday after Gore saw her appearance on Fox News’ “Fox and Friends.”
“As an elected official, I am disheartened to hear about your recent experience in San Francisco with the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, at your salon,” Gore wrote in the letter, posted to her Facebook page.
“While you may already know your next destination, I would like to invite you to consider setting up your next salon here,” Gore wrote. “Our arms are open to hard-working small business owners.”
Last week, Placer County downgraded from the state’s most restrictive monitoring level to the second most restrictive, allowing more businesses and schools to open, including indoor dining at restaurants up to 25% capacity.
Fox News obtained surveillance video earlier this month of Pelosi visiting the salon for a hair wash and blowout, despite the fact that San Francisco salons were closed at the time due to the coronavirus pandemic. The video showed Pelosi walking through the interior of the salon without wearing a mask.
Salons in San Francisco had been closed since March and were only notified they could reopen on Sept. 1 for outdoor hairstyling services only.
The story prompted reaction from President Trump, who slammed Pelosi for not wearing a mask and following local coronavirus rules while “constantly lecturing everyone else.”
Pelosi dug in over the controversy and claimed that she was “set up” at the hair salon, which she said she had been to “over the years many times.”
Kious said she’s faced harsh blowback in light of the controversy.
“I started to just get a ton of phone calls, text messages, emails, all my Yelp reviews… saying that they hope I go under and that I fail,” she told “Tucker Carlson Tonight.” “So just a lot of negativity towards my business.”
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Kious said the negativity has made her hesitant to return to San Francisco, where she has lived for the past 15 years.
“I'm actually afraid to go back... It’s a little scary and sad,” she said. “I do have a lot of positive calls and text messages from clients. But other than that, nothing but negativity."
However, a GoFundMe set up for her has raised over $300,000.
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“I am very humbled and grateful to have received such an outpouring of kindness, empathy and generosity from people I don’t even know, and from all walks of life and all sides of the political spectrum," she said. “It’s a powerful reminder that the common things that bind us all together as Americans are far more meaningful and lasting than political and ideological differences that get so much attention and focus."
Fox News' Brooke Singman contributed to this report.