Clinton Bags Last-Minute Gifts, Pardons 33 on Christmas Eve

President Clinton joined millions of other Americans on Thursday, finishing last-minute shopping on a Christmas Eve that otherwise was quiet.

Clinton spent much of Thursday afternoon at Washington’s Union Station--a train station filled with shops, restaurants and hundreds of holiday shoppers who met the president warmly, a few of them screaming, “We love you, Mr. President!”

The White House kept mum on what his three shopping bags contained.

Outside of that, Clinton kept a light schedule: He gave an early Christmas present to 33 convicted criminals in the form of presidential pardons, recorded his weekly radio address, nominated an ambassador to Brazil and made his traditional phone calls to service members spending the holidays overseas.

Clinton, his wife and daughter were spending the holiday at the White House with relatives and friends.

They planned a huge Christmas feast: turkey with giblet gravy; country ham; two types of stuffing; mashed potatoes; a variety of vegetables and breads; chocolate cake; and pecan, pumpkin and lemon meringue pies.

The pardons he issued were for offenses ranging from lying to going AWOL during the Korean War. No reasons for the pardons were given.

The president also pardoned tax dodgers, a car thief and various military convicts--including a thief court-martialed by the Army in 1949. Alejandro Cruz Guedca’s theft conviction almost 50 years ago was the oldest case on the annual list.

The Korean War pardon went to Air Force veteran Samuel Harrell Woodard.

Clinton issued 21 pardons at Christmas last year. There is no limit on the number or timing of presidential pardons, but many presidents have chosen the Thanksgiving or Christmas season to grant them.

Clinton has granted executive clemency to 110 people since he took office in 1993.

A person must wait at least five years after conviction to apply for a pardon, which clears the person’s name. Typically, pardons go only to people who have long ago served their punishment and returned to productive private life.