diff --git a/plugin/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/integration/MlRestTestStateCleaner.java b/plugin/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/integration/MlRestTestStateCleaner.java
index 2813cc04448..32b03c203c8 100644
--- a/plugin/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/integration/MlRestTestStateCleaner.java
+++ b/plugin/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/integration/MlRestTestStateCleaner.java
@@ -83,19 +83,18 @@ public class MlRestTestStateCleaner {
                 if (statusCode != 200) {
                     logger.error("Got status code " + statusCode + " when closing job " + jobId);
                 }
-            } catch (Exception e) {
-                if (e.getMessage().contains("expected job state [opened], but got [closed]")
-                        || e.getMessage().contains("expected job state [opened], but got [closing]")) {
-                    logger.debug("job [" + jobId + "] has already been closed", e);
+            } catch (Exception e1) {
+                if (e1.getMessage().contains("expected job state [opened], but got [closed]")
+                        || e1.getMessage().contains("expected job state [opened], but got [closing]")) {
+                    logger.debug("job [" + jobId + "] has already been closed", e1);
                 } else {
-                    logger.warn("failed to close job [" + jobId + "]. Forcing closed.", e);
-
+                    logger.warn("failed to close job [" + jobId + "]. Forcing closed.", e1);
                     try {
                         adminClient.performRequest("POST", "/_xpack/ml/anomaly_detectors/" + jobId + "/_close?force=true");
-                        throw new RuntimeException("Had to resort to force-closing job, something went wrong?");
                     } catch (Exception e2) {
                         throw new RuntimeException("Force-closing job [" + jobId + "] failed.", e2);
                     }
+                    throw new RuntimeException("Had to resort to force-closing job, something went wrong?", e1);
                 }
             }
             int statusCode = adminClient.performRequest("DELETE", "/_xpack/ml/anomaly_detectors/" + jobId).getStatusLine().getStatusCode();
diff --git a/plugin/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/support/BaseMlIntegTestCase.java b/plugin/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/support/BaseMlIntegTestCase.java
index fb1260dcd00..687625f7e8c 100644
--- a/plugin/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/support/BaseMlIntegTestCase.java
+++ b/plugin/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/support/BaseMlIntegTestCase.java
@@ -251,19 +251,19 @@ public abstract class BaseMlIntegTestCase extends ESIntegTestCase {
                 StopDatafeedAction.Response stopResponse =
                         client.execute(StopDatafeedAction.INSTANCE, new StopDatafeedAction.Request(datafeedId)).get();
                 assertTrue(stopResponse.isStopped());
-            } catch (ExecutionException e) {
-                if (e.getMessage().contains("datafeed already stopped, expected datafeed state [started], but got [stopped]")) {
-                    logger.debug("failed to stop datafeed [" + datafeedId + "], already stopped", e);
+            } catch (ExecutionException e1) {
+                if (e1.getMessage().contains("datafeed already stopped, expected datafeed state [started], but got [stopped]")) {
+                    logger.debug("failed to stop datafeed [" + datafeedId + "], already stopped", e1);
                 } else {
                     try {
                         StopDatafeedAction.Request request = new StopDatafeedAction.Request(datafeedId);
                         request.setForce(true);
                         StopDatafeedAction.Response stopResponse = client.execute(StopDatafeedAction.INSTANCE, request).get();
                         assertTrue(stopResponse.isStopped());
-                        throw new RuntimeException("Had to resort to force-stopping datafeed, something went wrong?");
                     } catch (Exception e2) {
                         throw new RuntimeException("Force-stopping datafeed [" + datafeedId + "] failed.", e2);
                     }
+                    throw new RuntimeException("Had to resort to force-stopping datafeed, something went wrong?", e1);
                 }
             }
             assertBusy(() -> {
@@ -292,10 +292,10 @@ public abstract class BaseMlIntegTestCase extends ESIntegTestCase {
                 CloseJobAction.Response response =
                         client.execute(CloseJobAction.INSTANCE, closeRequest).get();
                 assertTrue(response.isClosed());
-            } catch (Exception e) {
-                if (e.getMessage().contains("expected job state [opened], but got [closed]")
-                        || e.getMessage().contains("expected job state [opened], but got [closing]")) {
-                    logger.debug("job [" + jobId + "] has already been closed", e);
+            } catch (Exception e1) {
+                if (e1.getMessage().contains("expected job state [opened], but got [closed]")
+                        || e1.getMessage().contains("expected job state [opened], but got [closing]")) {
+                    logger.debug("job [" + jobId + "] has already been closed", e1);
                 } else {
                     try {
                         CloseJobAction.Request closeRequest = new CloseJobAction.Request(jobId);
@@ -304,11 +304,10 @@ public abstract class BaseMlIntegTestCase extends ESIntegTestCase {
                         CloseJobAction.Response response =
                                 client.execute(CloseJobAction.INSTANCE, closeRequest).get();
                         assertTrue(response.isClosed());
-                        throw new RuntimeException("Had to resort to force-closing job, something went wrong?");
                     } catch (Exception e2) {
                         throw new RuntimeException("Force-closing datafeed [" + jobId + "] failed.", e2);
                     }
-
+                    throw new RuntimeException("Had to resort to force-closing job, something went wrong?", e1);
                 }
             }
             assertBusy(() -> {
diff --git a/qa/smoke-test-ml-with-security/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/integration/MlRestTestStateCleaner.java b/qa/smoke-test-ml-with-security/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/integration/MlRestTestStateCleaner.java
index 2813cc04448..32b03c203c8 100644
--- a/qa/smoke-test-ml-with-security/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/integration/MlRestTestStateCleaner.java
+++ b/qa/smoke-test-ml-with-security/src/test/java/org/elasticsearch/xpack/ml/integration/MlRestTestStateCleaner.java
@@ -83,19 +83,18 @@ public class MlRestTestStateCleaner {
                 if (statusCode != 200) {
                     logger.error("Got status code " + statusCode + " when closing job " + jobId);
                 }
-            } catch (Exception e) {
-                if (e.getMessage().contains("expected job state [opened], but got [closed]")
-                        || e.getMessage().contains("expected job state [opened], but got [closing]")) {
-                    logger.debug("job [" + jobId + "] has already been closed", e);
+            } catch (Exception e1) {
+                if (e1.getMessage().contains("expected job state [opened], but got [closed]")
+                        || e1.getMessage().contains("expected job state [opened], but got [closing]")) {
+                    logger.debug("job [" + jobId + "] has already been closed", e1);
                 } else {
-                    logger.warn("failed to close job [" + jobId + "]. Forcing closed.", e);
-
+                    logger.warn("failed to close job [" + jobId + "]. Forcing closed.", e1);
                     try {
                         adminClient.performRequest("POST", "/_xpack/ml/anomaly_detectors/" + jobId + "/_close?force=true");
-                        throw new RuntimeException("Had to resort to force-closing job, something went wrong?");
                     } catch (Exception e2) {
                         throw new RuntimeException("Force-closing job [" + jobId + "] failed.", e2);
                     }
+                    throw new RuntimeException("Had to resort to force-closing job, something went wrong?", e1);
                 }
             }
             int statusCode = adminClient.performRequest("DELETE", "/_xpack/ml/anomaly_detectors/" + jobId).getStatusLine().getStatusCode();