A recent Esquire article attempting to defend President Biden's pardon of his son, Hunter, by comparing it to a supposed pardon issued by George H.W. Bush to his son, Neil, has been retracted due to factual inaccuracies. The column, penned by Charles P. Pierce, erroneously claimed that Bush pardoned Neil for his involvement in the Silverado Savings and Loan collapse. This comparison was used to justify the Hunter Biden pardon, urging critics to "Shut the f--- up about Hunter Biden."

The magazine issued two editor's notes acknowledging the error. The first admitted the incorrect statement about the Bush pardon, while the second announced the article's removal. The link to the original article now leads to a page stating, "This Column is No Longer Available."

While Neil Bush faced scrutiny for his role in the Silverado Savings and Loan failure, which cost taxpayers an estimated $1 billion, he was never criminally charged nor pardoned by his father. He did, however, settle a civil lawsuit with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). This key difference undermines the comparison made in the now-deleted Esquire article. President Biden's pardon of Hunter has drawn criticism from across the political spectrum, particularly given his previous statements indicating he wouldn't issue such a pardon. The pardon covers any potential offenses committed by Hunter Biden between January 1, 2014, and December 1, 2024.