Justice Department lawyers on Tuesday retracted a request made by other DOJ attorneys just one day earlier that recommended Roger Stone be sentenced up to nine years in prison, saying such a punishment “could be considered excessive and unwarranted under the circumstances.”

The new DOJ sentencing recommendation landed as all four federal prosecutors who had worked on Stone’s trial filed motions to withdraw. One said he was resigning as an assistant U.S. attorney entirely, and another announced his departure from the D.C. attorney’s office but remains with the DOJ.