Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders joined seven other Democratic senators on Friday in sending a letter to Attorney General William Barr demanding that the nation's top law enforcement official resign immediately for intervening this week to reduce the recommended prison sentence for Roger Stone, a longtime confidant of President Donald Trump.

"A [Department of Justice] that abandons the rule of law in order to give sweetheart deals to criminals acting on behalf of the president of the United States is as corrupt as it is unacceptable," reads the letter. "You and the other officials involved must be held accountable for these actions. We therefore urge you to resign from your position, effective immediately."

"Attorney General Barr's interference in Roger Stone's sentencing is not just unethical—it's corrupt, plain and simple."

—Sen. Elizabeth Warren In addition to Warren and Sanders, the letter was signed by Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii).

The letter came a day after Barr admitted in an interview with ABC News that he and other top Justice Department officials stepped in to overrule career federal prosecutors' recommendation of seven to nine years in prison for Stone, who was convicted last November of witness tampering and lying to Congress.

"I had made a decision that I thought was fair and reasonable in this case," said Barr.

Barr added in the interview that he is "not going to be bullied or influenced by anybody," referring to President Donald Trump's tweet early Tuesday calling Stone's initial sentence "horrible and very unfair."

"I think it's time to stop the tweeting about Department of Justice criminal cases," Barr said.

The senators wrote in their letter that Barr's rebuke of the president is "simply not credible given that it is sharply at odds with the behavior of top DOJ officials and the comments of the president over the past 72 hours."

In addition to demanding Barr's resignation, Warren, Van Hollen, Hirono, and Markey unveiled legislation Friday that would bar Justice Department officials appointed by the president from participating in matters related to "the president, his family, or his campaign associates."

"Attorney General Barr's interference in Roger Stone's sentencing is not just unethical—it's corrupt, plain and simple," Warren said in a statement. "This bill would use Congress' spending authority to protect the rule of law and prevent a corrupt attorney general from protecting the president's buddies when they commit crimes to benefit the president."

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Read the letter: