Washington(CNN) Rep. Katie Porter announced Monday that she is in favor of an impeachment investigation into President Donald Trump, becoming one of the first Democrats who won Republican districts in 2018 to support such a move.
The freshman Democrat tweeted a video in which she said, "After weeks of study, deliberation and conversations with Orange County families, I've decided to support an impeachment investigation of the President."
Porter, who represents California's 45th Congressional District, said, "I have not come to this easily," adding, "I know deeply what this means for our democracy."
"I didn't come to Congress to impeach the President," Porter said. " ... But when faced with a crisis of this magnitude, I cannot with a clean conscience ignore my duty to defend the Constitution."
Porter defeated then-Rep. Mimi Walters in 2018, defeating the two-term Republican as part of the House's blue wave. Porter was one of 35 new female lawmakers elected to Congress in 2018.
She said Monday that it's now up to her and her colleagues to continue special counsel Robert Mueller's work.
"Congress must continue the work of special counsel Mueller," Porter declared, saying Mueller had "presented extensive evidence of obstruction of justice that requires continued investigation by Congress."
Porter said the Trump administration has "refused to respect the rule of law," and "They have ignored multiple subpoenas" and "directed current and former high-ranking officials to disregard summons to testify."
"The President has continued his efforts to spread mistrust of our law enforcement," Porter said, "contempt for our journalists and false information about the law, director Mueller's findings and basic, uncontested facts."
"The question is not whether a crisis is in our midst, but rather whether we choose to fight against it," Porter said.
A spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee, Torunn Sinclair, said in a statement, "Katie Porter is so consumed by her hatred of President Trump that she is willing to thumb her nose at her constituents, the majority of whom oppose impeachment. This will cost Porter her seat in Congress in 2020."
Porter recently made headlines when she butted heads with Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson.
During Carson's recent testimony before the House Financial Services Committee, he appeared to think Porter was questioning him about Oreo cookies when the California Democrat was asking about real estate owned properties -- or REOs, properties that fail to sell at foreclosure auctions.