SAN FRANCISCO — House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to a San Francisco hair salon is drawing heavy criticism, with some people calling the California Democratic congresswoman a hypocrite.

What You Need To Know

  • Video footage shows Pelosi inside a San Francisco hair salon Monday without a mask on

  • California salons were finally allowed to reopen Tuesday, but only for outdoor hair appointments

  • A Pelosi aide says the House speaker was following the rules that were presented to her by the salon

  • Republicans are attacking Pelosi, calling her a hyprocrite

Fox News obtained security video footage of Pelosi inside San Francisco's eSalon Monday without wearing a mask. California barbershops and salons are allowed to only give haircuts outdoors, and even that rule just took effect Tuesday after those businesses were shuttered for nearly six months due to the coronavirus pandemic. Also, masks are mandatory in most public settings in California. 

The footage shows Pelosi walking through a room of the salon with wet hair and what appears to be a mask pulled down around her neck. The stylist gave Pelosi’s hair a wash and blow-out, the salon’s owner said.

Drew Hammill, Pelosi’s deputy chief of staff, said in a statement that the House speaker was complying with the rules that were presented to her by eSalon.

“The Speaker always wears a mask and complies with local COVID requirements,” Hammill said. “This business offered for the Speaker to come in on Monday and told her they were allowed by the city to have one customer at a time in the business. The Speaker complied with the rules as presented to her by this establishment.”

The salon’s owner, Erica Kious, who rents chairs to stylists, said she was upset about Pelosi’s visit during a time when so many small businesses are still closed and struggling to survive.

“It was a slap in the face that she went in, you know, that she feels that she can just go and get her stuff done while no one else can go in, and I can’t work," Kious told Fox News.

“We’re supposed to look up to this woman, right?” Kious said. “It is just disturbing.”

Kious told Fox she "can’t control” what her stylists do if they rent chairs from her, as “they’re not paying” at this time.

Republicans seized on the video to attack Pelosi.

“Crazy Nancy Pelosi is being decimated for having a beauty parlor opened, when all others are closed, and for not wearing a Mask - despite constantly lecturing everyone else,” President Donald Trump tweeted. “We will almost certainly take back the House, and send Nancy packing!

“Speaker Pelosi has pushed policies that would keep our economy closed and our small businesses shut down,” Senate Republicans tweeted. “But for herself? A salon visit whenever she pleases.”

Harmeet Dhillon, an attorney and co-chair of Lawyers For Trump, told KTVU-TV in the Bay Area that Pelosi and perhaps even the salon should be fined. 

"She's a disgusting hypocrite," said Dhillon, referring to Speaker Pelosi. 

"I've represented other types of businesses that have been severely punished for violating the very same law that Nancy Pelosi broke yesterday," he said.