Speaking about the hair salon scandal on Wednesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she was set up by a hair salon based in San Francisco in a now-viral scene that her Republican opponents are using to paint her image as a hypocrite on pandemic-related precautions. She even refused to apologize for the incident.

Not only did the California Democrat tout the recently surfaced security footage showing her without a mask as an attempt to tarnish her reputation, she even declined to apologize for visiting the salon although city regulations restrict indoor salon service. She took the responsibility for trusting the word of a nearby salon that she has been to over for several years many times.

During a news conference on education in her home district, Pelosi went to explain that the neighborhood salon informed her about their ability to accommodate one person at a time, and offered to set her appointment at that time. Admitting that she trusted the salon, Pelosi said it turned out to be a set-up.

"So I take responsibility for falling for a set-up," she said during the news conference. Pelosi said the salon owed her an apology, for setting her up, The San Francisco Chronicle reported. Jonathan DeNardo, the speaker's stylist lent support to Pelosi's claim that she was a victim of a set up by the owners of the salon.

In a letter, DeNardo's legal team said on Wednesday that the owner of the salon Pelosi visited, Erica Kious, had expressed anger toward the House Speaker and accused her of forcing her to downsize her business amid the pandemic. The letter clarifies that Pelosi wasn't involved in the measures implemented during San Francisco's coronavirus shutdown.

DeNardo’s lawyer also suggests that Kious was running her salon even before Pelosi went there for getting her hair done. Furthermore, DeNardo said he called Kious and said he wouldn't have confirmed the appointment without Kious's approval.

The letter says the fact that Ms. Kious is now objecting to Pelosi's visit at eSalon, and a simple review of her political leanings, it seems she is assisting a set-up of the speaker for her own egotistical desire. Pelosi's hair appointment was first reported by Fox News.

The Fox News report was accompanied by footage showing the congresswoman without a mask covering her face. A hairstylist with a mask is seen following close behind her. The video was reportedly recorded on Monday, while barbershops and hair salons in San Francisco reopened for business outdoors on Tuesday.