Rep. Louis Gohmert (R-Texas) said it “remains to be seen” if a diplomatic security agent seriously injured in the Benghazi attack will testify before Congress.
David Ubben is still recovering at Walter Reed from wounds suffered Sept. 11. He braved the flames at the diplomatic mission to recover the body of Sean Smith, who had died from smoke inhalation. Ubben told Fox he tried looking for Ambassador Chris Stevens but could not find him.
Ubben then fought alongside Navy SEALS Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty who were killed by mortar fire on a rooftop, and waited 20 hours on that roof for help to arrive.
Gohmert said this morning that he’s been talking to Ubben “for a number of months — just hadn’t gone public with it at his request.”
“David thought he was going to lose his leg because of the damage done with the mortar rounds that — that killed Ty and Glen. But what really it gets back to is why there was such lax security, why they were — we were unable to get people to them more quickly, why people in Washington went to bed knowing they were in harm’s way without getting them the help they needed,” the congressman said this morning on Fox.
“Perhaps in the — when the embassies were attacked in the Clinton administration back in ’98 we had found, if we found out then why there was such lax security that allowed that, we wouldn’t have lost four people in Benghazi last September. So we need to get to the bottom of it so lives can be saved in the future. And the blood of these heroes cries out for answers.”
Ubben asked media not to reveal his face. Gohmert said “he just wants to serve his country; he’s not looking for glory.”
“He doesn’t consider himself a hero, though he certainly is. This is just a great American — wonderful wife, great, two little children — little daughter and — and son, I guess about a-year-old now,” Gohmert added.
He confirmed that there will be more Benghazi hearings coming up, but didn’t know if Ubben would speak at them.
“The people that were situated as was he have such a limited amount they can tell. They came under attack. It was clearly an attack. It was well-coordinated. The people were well-trained, and everybody knew that from the first minute it happened. Then it was just a matter of trying to keep as many of the personnel alive as possible,” Gohmert said.
When asked if Ubben had been directed not to talk publicly about that night, the congressman said “not to my knowledge.”
“He just prefers not to,” Gohmert said. “He wants to remain private.”
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