The lawyer for a 39-year-old man in Montana who fractured the skull of child for wearing a hat during the national anthem at a rodeo says his client believed he was acting on behalf of President Trump. Curt Brockway, who was charged this week with felony assault on the 13-year-old boy, suffered a traumatic brain injury and was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army over his disability, which his lawyer Lance Jasper said contributed to his actions. “His commander in chief is telling people that if they kneel, they should be fired, or if they burn a flag, they should be punished,” Jasper said. “He certainly didn’t understand it was a crime.” Brockway told deputies that he noticed the boy hadn’t removed his hat and confronted him about it, to which the boy responded “fuck you.” Brockway told authorities that he grabbed the boy by the throat, lifted him into the air, and then slammed him onto the ground. The boy was flown to a hospital, where he was diagnosed with a concussion and a fractured skull. Witnesses told reporters that Brockway defended his actions afterward because the boy had been disrespectful. “Trump never necessarily says go hurt somebody, but the message is absolutely clear,” Jasper said. “I am certain of the fact that [Brockway] was doing what he believed he was told to do, essentially, by the president.”