Former Nick Reiner attorney Alan Jackson speaks out after exiting case

The former attorney for Nick Reiner is speaking out after his surprise decision to drop out of the case.

Alan Jackson sat down for interviews on Billy Bush's "Hot Mics" and Kelly Ripa's "Let's Talk Off Camera" podcast after he announced last week that he is withdrawing from Reiner's murder case. Nick Reiner is facing charges of killing his parents, Rob Reiner and Michele Singer Reiner.

On "Hot Mics," Jackson declined to disclose details about why he left the case, but he quickly pushed back after Bush speculated that it was because of issues with his payment.

"You can't say that something happened with the retainer because I've never said that," Jackson said.

"Obviously, something happened with my ability and my team's ability to continue the representation, but I don't want you, your audience, anybody's else to start speculating as to what that might be," he added. "I have not said a word about it."

Jackson went on to stress that he remains "completely committed to the best interests of Nick Reiner" and reiterated his opinion that "under the laws of the state of California," Reiner is "not guilty." He also noted he "dropped everything" and "got on a flight nearly immediately" after he was hired to represent Reiner while he was working on another case in New York.

Jackson announced he was withdrawing from Reiner's case on Jan. 7, leading him to be replaced with a public defender, Kimberly Greene. Speaking to journalists outside a Los Angeles courtroom, Jackson said he "had to withdraw" due to "circumstances beyond my control" and "more importantly for circumstances beyond Nick's control," without providing further details.

"What we have learned, and you can take this to the bank, is that pursuant to the laws of this state, Nick Reiner is not guilty of murder," he said. "Print that. And we wish him the very best."

On Ripa's "Let's Talk Off Camera" show, Jackson similarly said that because of "legal standards and ethical obligations, there are certain things I simply can't divulge" about why he left the case. But he added that he wants Reiner to receive the "most robust defense that he possibly can get, and I know that he will in the hands of the public defender's office."

When Ripa suggested that Nick Reiner's case appeared to be "indefensible," the attorney, who has also represented high-profile clients like Karen Read, rejected this notion.

"There's very little in the law that's indefensible, and there's a reason for that, because I never approach a case like I'm just defending an individual," he said. "Every time I approach a case, on the defense side, I walk into the case ... knowing full well that we're defending something bigger than an individual: We're defending the Constitution."

He added, "I don't worry about who the person is. So the word indefensible never comes up because it's completely defensible, no matter who the person is, if the government doesn't get it right."

Jackson also told Ripa that he doesn't "really care" whether his clients are guilty or innocent. "I care about the Constitution," he said. "I care about whether the government got their job right."