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Clinton Takes On Trump's Atlantic City Business Record

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Hillary Clinton on Wednesday ripped Donald Trump as a "shameful'' businessman with a history of exploiting workers, holding up the presumptive Republican nominee's turbulent history in struggling Atlantic City as a warning for American voters.

She highlighted Trump's record of "stiffing contractors'' all while "pocketing cash for himself.''

"What he did here in Atlantic City is exactly what he'll do if he wins in November,'' said Clinton, standing on the seaside town's famed boardwalk just a few blocks from one of Trump's shuttered hotels.

Clinton also mentioned the multiple bankruptcies under his management of Atlantic City casinos in the 1980s and 1990s.

"Donald Trump acted so irresponsibly and calls himself the king of debt. He earned that title right here in AC," Clinton said.

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Clinton campaigned near the Trump Taj Mahal casino, which still bears the Republican's name but now belongs to his friend Carl Icahn. Casino workers at the hotel have been striking since Friday.

The Taj opened in 1990, but collapsed into bankruptcy a year later. At the time, Trump paid only a fraction to contractors he owed money for work.

"Donald Trump doesn't think going bankrupt is a big deal. But it's devastating if you're someone who plays by the rules.  He got rich and he got out. He thinks that's something to be proud of," Clinton said.

Clinton's remarks were part of a growing effort by her campaign to tear down Trump's business reputation, which Democrats believe is overhyped and based more on his ability to attract publicity than actual private sector skills.

In the coming weeks, Clinton's campaign is expected to highlight "victims'' of Trump's business ventures, including contractors who went unpaid, replicating a strategy Democrats employed successfully against 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney.

In a lengthy statement, Trump defended his record in Atlantic City. He said he "created thousands of jobs and made a lot of money in Atlantic City, which was what, as a businessman, I am supposed to do.''

Trump said the use of "the chapter laws of our country'' is a standard practice employed by the "country's elite business people'' and helped to save jobs.

"Nobody understands the economy like I do and no one, especially not Crooked Hillary Clinton, will do more for the economy than I will,'' he said.

Ahead of Clinton's remarks, Trump said on Twitter that he left before the downturn.

"Great timing (as all know),'' he wrote. Trump blamed the city's problems on politicians' "big mistakes.''

But even in the years when other Atlantic City casinos were growing, casinos carrying the Trump name weren't.

"When this casino collapsed because of how badly he managed it, hundreds of people lost their jobs, but Donald Trump -- he walked away with millions," Clinton said.

Trump's publicly traded company, Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts Inc., went bust in 2004, Atlantic City's casino revenues were on their way to an all-time high. In fact, two of his casinos' three bankruptcies occurred in years when overall Atlantic City gambling revenue was rising.

"Isn't he supposed to be some kind of amazing businessman?'' Clinton said. "So it's fair to ask, since he is applying for a job, what in the world happened here?''

The Clinton campaign has made a web page modeled on Monopoly cards to catalog Trump's casino problems.

Clinton focused narrowly on Trump in her address, making no mention of the FBI's recommendation Tuesday that she not face charges for her controversial email practices as secretary of state.

In clearing Clinton of breaking the law, FBI Director James Comey was blistering in his criticism of the presumptive Democratic nominee, saying she was "extremely careless'' in handling classified information on a private email and personal internet server.

"Any reasonable person in Secretary Clinton's position should have known that an unclassified system was no place for that conversation," he said.

Trump quickly pounced Tuesday on the FBI' s decision.

"I always knew and see, it's so sad that our system is in fact rigged, totally rigged," he said.

As CBS2's Tony Aiello reported, Trump let it rip in Cincinnati.

"She made so many false statements. Is she gonna be brought before Congress or something? Is something going to happen?" he said.

Congressional Republicans didn't call Clinton, but the House Oversight Committee will hear from FBI Director James Comey on Thursday.

"We just want to know why they're not going to prosecute. Everything that Director Comey said would lead you to believe that she did violate the law," Rep Jason Chaffetz, (R-Utah), said.

Clinton's campaign released a statement saying the servers were a mistake and that they are glad that the matter is now resolved.

Analysts say even without charges, it could still be a challenge for Clinton's campaign as she tries to gain the trust of voters.

During their first joint campaign appearance together Tuesday, President Barack Obama did not specifically address the controversy, but fully endorsed his pick to replace him.

"My faith in Hillary Clinton has always been rewarded," he said. "I have had a front-row seat to her judgement."

Trump is set to speak at an Ohio rally with possible vice presidential pick Newt Gingrich.

(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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