Texas Representative Nicole Collier says she was threatened with a felony charge and forced to hang up on a Democratic National Committee press call while sitting inside the state Capitol on Wednesday.
Collier, a Fort Worth Democrat, had dialed in to a call with Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey and California Gov. Gavin Newsom when, according to her account and party officials, she was abruptly told to leave.
“Sorry, I have to leave. They say it’s a felony for me to do this, apparently,” Collier can be heard saying on the call, in audio later circulated by Democrats. “I can’t be on the floor or in the bathroom. Well, you told me I was only allowed to be here in the bathroom—Sorry everybody, I have to go.”
The moment underscored just how tense things have become for Democrats in Austin as they push back against Republican-backed redistricting maps. For two days, Collier says she confined herself to the House floor, refusing what she described as a “demeaning permission slip” that would have required her to ask law enforcement for approval to move around the building.
In a statement, Collier painted a picture of escalating intimidation: fines, bomb threats, constant surveillance, and finally the threat of criminal prosecution for the simple act of speaking to the public. “Over the past month, I have been threatened with fines, surrounded by law enforcement, endured a bomb threat, been confined to the House floor, and now threatened with prosecution simply for telling my constituents the truth,” she said.
Ken Martin, chair of the Democratic National Committee, backed up Collier’s account, saying she “was ordered to leave the call, and threatened with a felony charge if she didn’t comply.”
The episode left even seasoned political figures stunned. Booker, who was on the call, appeared startled at the notion that Collier could face a felony for speaking on video from the Capitol lounge. For Collier, though, it was one more instance of what she describes as efforts to silence dissent.
Republicans, she suggested later in an interview, were using scare tactics to push Democrats out of the conversation. “You throw out the most scary tactic that you can to get somebody to stop doing something that exposes their oppression,” she said.
While Texas fights play out, Democrats in other states are moving to counterbalance them. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has already started advancing a new redistricting plan aimed at offsetting Republican gains. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has signaled she’s prepared to act if needed. Collier said the broader goal is to make sure Texas doesn’t hand more leverage to Donald Trump and his agenda.
For now, though, the spotlight remains on Austin, where a state representative says simply speaking up nearly got her branded a felon.
