A Washington GOP state lawmaker reportedly participated in private chats to discuss ways to carry out surveillance and violent attacks against perceived political enemies.

Washington state Rep. Matt Shea (R) participated in the chat by using the alias, “Verum Bellator,” according to The Guardian.

The Guardian notes that Shea volunteered to help find or provide background checks on Spokane residents, among other things, while other participants suggested violent response tactics.

It is not clear whether Shea actively agreed to those tactics, but he did not appear to demur from any of the suggestions, according to the Guardian's review.

The chats took place on the messaging app Signal and focused on a supposed "Antifa" revolt that was scheduled in November 2017. The newspaper notes that far-right media outlets spread violent theories about a peaceful protest planned by a small leftist group.

The Guardian reported on the development on Saturday after confirming the individuals who took part in the discussions by cross-checking phone numbers attached to their Signal accounts.

ADVERTISEMENT

The chat included right-wing figures Jack Robertson, who hosts a far-right radio show, Anthony Bosworth and one other person that The Guardian chose not to disclose over concerns about his personal safety. The anonymous participant provided the records of the discussions to The Guardian.

Bosworth and Robertson discussed confronting "communists" and "Antifa" through a variety of ways, including a "pure psyops operation," according to messages provided by The Guardian. They also proposed using acts of violence, surveillance and intimidation.

"Another useful tactic is locating the provocateurs leaders in the mouth pieces and then targeting there safe spaces while they're out on the streets rioting," Bosworth said in a message.

Shea later blamed the "Antifa" revolt not happening on the weather.

"Nothing ruins a good communist revolution like snow," he said in a message. "Snowflakes afraid of snowflakes."

Shea did not respond to a request for comment from The Guardian. He did not immediately return a request for comment from The Hill.

The GOP legislator gained increased attention last year after distributing a manifesto calling for "war" against enemies of the Christian religion. He has said that the document was interpreted in a different light than he intended.

Robertson told The Guardian that he remembered discussions taking place in regards to Indivisible and Antifa groups "planning to take to the streets." But he said he did not remember the details, and denied surveilling political opponents.

“A lot of people in private conversations say things tongue in cheek about what they would like to see happen to these people, but that is not setting a policy or establishing a protocol for people to carry things out," he added when talking about the apparent threats of violence.