Rep. Nicole Collier Says She Was Threatened With Felony During Session Call

.

Texas state Rep. Nicole Collier suddenly hung up on a private call with California Gov. Gavin Newsom and a group of other Democratic leaders earlier this week after she was warned that it was a felony for her to be a part of the call while in the Texas Capitol.

The abrupt moment shed light on a newly heated battle over a contentious redistricting bill in Texas that Democrats believe would violate federal voting rights protections.

Collier appeared on the video call with Newsom, Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin, and others while the Texas House of Representatives was in session and discussing a redistricting bill backed by former President Donald Trump. The Texas lawmaker used her time during the call to tell other Democrats that she believed the map being drawn in her state would violate the Voting Rights Act and infringe upon minority communities’ ability to vote.

“This bill will prevent Black and brown individuals from selecting the candidates of their choice because they’re cracking and packing these districts,” Collier said in the video shared on social media.

Approximately 30 minutes into the conversation, while Martin was speaking, Collier abruptly left the call and told the group she had to go.

“I have to leave, sorry. They said it’s a felony for me to do this,” Collier said as she walked away.

She then told those on the call: “Apparently, I can’t be on the floor or in the bathroom.”

As Collier was walking away, someone could be heard off-camera addressing her.

“You told me I was only allowed to be here in the bathroom,” she said, as she then turned back to the camera and toward those on the call, “No, hang on. Bye everybody. I’ve got to go.” And with that, she was gone.

The moment caught the group off guard. New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker was among the first to respond, telling Collier she was “exactly right” and condemning the situation as “outrageous.”

“What we just witnessed, them trying to shut her down and saying it’s illegal for her to be in the bathroom and on this call, this is the lengths that they’re going to in Texas,” Booker said, referring to Texas House Republicans.

Booker also admonished the GOP leaders in Texas and said, “Let me tell you something, Rep. Collier in the bathroom has more dignity than Donald Trump in the Oval Office.” Newsom nodded his head in agreement.

Booker continued: “They’re trying to silence a voice that they fear, and they’re trying to silence an American leader, silence a Black woman, and that is outrageous. That is what we just witnessed. She dares to say, ‘Hey, even if I’m not allowed to be on this call, even if they think I’m not allowed to be in the bathroom, I know the law and I know what’s right and I will not be suppressed.’”

Newsom had previously been critical of the new security measures taken by the Texas government as well as the legislation. The California governor announced a new congressional map in his state that would effectively eliminate five Republican seats, an announcement that came after GOP lawmakers in Texas returned to the state Capitol following the Democrats’ boycott.

The new congressional map in Texas could add as many as five Republican congressional seats in the state, something Democrats have argued would entrench Republican power for the next decade. The new security measures were put in place as lawmakers returned to Austin to ensure a quorum was kept for legislation to move forward.

As a result of the feud between lawmakers in Texas, both states are now drawing battle lines over a new congressional map in the years ahead. If the California map is approved, it could effectively eliminate five Republican seats, which would mirror the likely GOP gains in Texas, according to the new map shared Friday.

In what could be a harbinger of things to come, Collier’s moment caps a high-stakes redistricting fight between Texas and California. A similar confrontation has flared in Michigan as well after GOP lawmakers there passed a new map in secret without Democratic support.

A spokesperson for the Texas House did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on Collier’s hang-up.