Former Arizona Gov. Brewer says Trump 'water boarded' by female accusers

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Jan Brewer on immigration plan: Donald can make it happen

Former governor of Arizona reacts to Trump's immigration address

Former Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer on Sunday defended GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump for fighting back against women who have accused him of sexual misconduct and the media, saying the fellow Republican has been “water boarded” by the controversy.

Brewer’s choice of words raised some eyebrows, considering the term refers to an advanced-interrogation technique that simulates drowning and was used by the CIA in the aftermath of 9/11, until President Obama banned it in 2009.

“He has been water boarded by these issues,” Brewer, a Trump surrogate known for her tough anti-illegal immigration stances, said on CNN’s “State of the Union.” “It's just unbelievable. And anybody that has been under those kinds of assaults I think want to defend themselves.”

Trump has been accused by nearly a dozen women of inappropriate behavior after the Oct. 8 release of an 11-year-old audiotape in which he can be heard bragging that his star status allowed him to kiss and fondle women without invitation.

“It seems like it's really been kind of somewhat of a put up oppression of Donald Trump from all of these people lining up,” Brewer said Sunday.

Critics of water boarding say it’s a form of torture, which is banned by international law.

Trump has weighed in on the politically-charged issue at least twice during his campaign, including once at an event in South Carolina in February when he suggested a Trump administration would allow water boarding in the fight against terrorism.

“Don’t tell me it doesn’t work. Torture works,” he said. “They’re chopping off our heads in the Middle East.”