This Explains a Lot

10/19/18 CNN:

(CNN)A New York man was arrested and charged Friday by federal prosecutors with threatening to assault and murder two US senators in retaliation for their support of Justice Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court.

The man, Ronald DeRisi, left more than 10 threatening and "expletive-laced" voicemails for the two senators beginning September 27, according to the complaint unsealed Friday by prosecutors in the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York.

In one message, DeRisi said he had a "present" for one of the senators, the complaint says, adding: "It's a nine millimeter. Side of your f---ing skull, you scumbag motherf---er." He finished the call by saying, "Yeah, Kavanaugh -- I don't think so."...

On Friday, a frail DeRisi was wheeled into court wearing a blue T-shirt and jeans. DeRisi made small whimpers of pain as he heard Assistant US Attorney Justina Geraci lay out the case.

Geraci said DeRisi went to great lengths to hide his identity by using burner phones, a fake name, notes to remind himself what that fake name was and a separate credit card to replenish the phone that he hid in his car from his wife.

They were measures that show "a level of criminal intent," Geraci said.

His defense attorney explains:

DeRisi's attorney, Peter Brill, said that his client posed no flight risk and was not a threat. He tried to explain away DeRisi's actions by saying his brain had been atrophying.

"There is no doubt that this is something that he should not have been doing. But is he a flight risk? No. Is he dangerous? No," Brill said, later clarifying that he meant physically dangerous because DeRisi is so frail.

"He's not a violent person. He's a belligerent person," Brill said. "This is an ongoing neurological problem that has manifested itself in this way."

Atrophying, and neurological problem?  That explains a lot of the #Resistance.