In an op-ed to the New York paper, Epner said the president's comments directed at Fields, in which the President described him as a murderer and possible terrorist, could make it impossible to be "judged [solely] on the basis of the evidence," and could interfere with Fields' Constitutional right to the presumption of innocence.
Epner said it is common practice for Presidents to respond to inquiries about similar matters by stating, "That is the subject of a pending criminal matter and I cannot comment further," according to information from the article.