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Tex. Democratic state Rep. Nicole Collier (D) suddenly hung up on a private call with California Gov. Gavin Newsom and other Democratic leaders this week, saying she was told it was a felony to be on the call while on the Texas Capitol floor.

Collier’s abrupt exit from the video call, caught on camera, highlighted the deepening showdown over Texas’s controversial redistricting bill that Democrats say is an affront to federal voting protections.

Collier, who was on the call with Newsom, Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin, and other Democratic leaders, was on the Texas House floor while the state legislature was in the middle of a floor debate on a redistricting bill pushed by former President Trump.

Collier spoke on the video call while the Texas House was debating the bill. During her comments, Collier said the map in question “violates the Voting Rights Act” and would hinder the ability of minority communities to elect their preferred candidates.

“This bill will prevent Black and brown individuals from selecting the candidates of their choice because they’re cracking and packing these districts,” she said.

About 30 minutes into the call, Collier cut in on Martin as he was speaking. “Sorry, I have to leave. They said it’s a felony for me to do this,” Collier said.

She then added, “Apparently, I can’t be on the floor or in the bathroom,” before continuing her conversation with someone off-camera.

“You told me I was only allowed to be here in the bathroom,” Collier said to the person off-camera. “No, hang on. Bye everybody. I’ve got to go,” Collier told the others on the call before she hung up.

“I’ve got to go.” Texas state Rep. Nicole Collier, D, had to leave a video call with other Democratic leaders earlier this week. She said she had been told it was a felony to be on the call while on the Texas Capitol floor. pic.twitter.com/r5DBTvgUmQ

Collier’s dramatic departure left the group in shock. New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker (D) immediately jumped in on the call with fury.

“This is outrageous. … Listen, we got more integrity in Rep. Collier in the bathroom than Donald Trump in the Oval Office,” Booker fumed.

Newsom nodded in agreement, and Booker continued.

“This is an American leader. What they’re trying to do right there is silence an American leader, silence a Black woman, and that is outrageous,” Booker said.

“This is 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.”

Battle Over Redistricting Pits Texas vs. California

The call took place as Texas and California have engaged in one of the most bitter redistricting battles in the country.

Dozens of Texas House Democrats had previously fled the state for two weeks to prevent Republicans from getting a quorum to pass their legislation. Abbott and other Republican leaders, meanwhile, signed arrest warrants for the lawmakers and threatened to kick them out of office if they didn’t return.

Democrats have since returned to Austin but say the environment has changed at the state Capitol.

Lawmakers have said they are being followed around by Texas Department of Public Safety troopers, including when they return to their offices after a day at the Capitol. Some have reported DPS officers guarding their offices, while others said the troopers have trailed them from one end of the Capitol to the other.

Democrats have even said the lawmakers have to sign “permission slips” to leave the Capitol building, as Republicans now have more state troopers on hand to ensure lawmakers don’t break quorum.

The Texas bill itself could create up to five more Republican congressional seats, which Democrats say could cement GOP power in the state for the next decade.

As such, California Democrats have come to Texas’s defense and pushed their redistricting plan. Newsom, in an effort with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, announced a new congressional map in California that would potentially wipe out five Republican seats – counterbalancing any gains Republicans could add in Texas.

The new California map was released on Friday, which showed the new plan that could reshape California’s congressional districts to offset Republican gains in Texas.

The back-and-forth redistricting battle between Texas and California highlights how efforts over redistricting lines in one state are no longer quarrels that are kept in state politics.

With both parties looking for an edge in next year’s congressional races, every district matters. For Democrats, the fight in Texas has served as a potent example of a warning against voting rights suppression and an energizing call for Democrats to fight back.

Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of Booker and Newsom for additional comment, but did not immediately receive a response. Collier’s office also declined to comment for this report, saying the Texas House was still in session.