Arizona governor: 'Birther' sentiment 'leading our country down a path of destruction'

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R), who vetoed a bill last week that would have required presidential candidates to prove they were born in the U.S. to get on the state's ballot, implored members of her party Monday to move on.

In an interview with CNN's John King, Brewer called the issue a "huge distraction" and said that doubters have failed to offer any proof that President Obama was born outside the country.

"It's just something I believe is leading our country down a path of destruction, and it just is not serving any good purpose," Brewer said, calling it a distraction from the much more pressing issue of the economy. 

"I think we really just need to move on," Brewer continued. "Everybody's had two years to prove, if they wanted to, that he was not born in Hawaii. They haven't come up with any of that kind of proof."

Real estate mogul Donald Trump, who is weighing a 2012 bid for president, has reignited the 'birther' sentiment in recent weeks, repeatedly questioning President Obama's birthplace and demanding he offer more complete proof.   

A recent poll found 45 percent of Republican voters believe the president was born outside of the United States.

Brewer said the Arizona bill she vetoed last week was directed at Obama and that she thinks similar bills in states across the country are also directly squarely at the president.

Sponsors of so-called 'birther' bills in other state legislatures have denied Obama is a target of any proposed legislation.