Republicans criticize Pelosi over hair appointment

WASHINGTON: US Republicans criticized House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday for going to a hair salon in San Francisco in an apparent violation of the city's coronavirus pandemic regulations, but the Democratic leader said she had been told by the salon the appointment was allowed.

Pelosi briefly addressed the issue to reporters in San Francisco, saying, "I take responsibility for falling for a set-up." Under strict rules to combat the coronavirus pandemic, hair salons in San Francisco were still prohibited from admitting customers on Monday, when Pelosi had her appointment, although salons elsewhere in the state and across much of the country were already open.

President Donald Trump and other Republicans seized on a brief video of Pelosi's appointment, which first aired on the Fox News channel, to accuse Pelosi, the most senior elected Democrat in Washington, of hypocrisy. Trump - who took months to embrace mask-wearing as a way to slow the spread of COVID-19 - used the incident to attack Pelosi, saying on Twitter that she is "constantly lecturing" others.