WHO KNEW: State Dept quietly offers reward for Benghazi info!

WASHINGTON – The State Department announced Friday it has been quietly offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone involved in the deadly 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi.

Friday’s acknowledgement comes weeks after Fox News reported that the Benghazi case was not listed as part of the State Department's "Rewards for Justice" website. The apparent omission prompted several complaints from Republican lawmakers.

But the State Department, in a letter sent to Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, revealed that it has in fact been offering the reward through other channels since January -- though the department previously declined to disclose that information.

Friday’s announcement of a reward raised questions among some lawmakers about how effective a multi-million dollar reward could be if it was not widely known or publicized on its “Rewards for Justice” website.

However, in the letter to lawmakers, the State Department defended its decision to keep the reward under wraps.

"Due to security issues and sensitivities surrounding the investigation, the event-specific reward offer has not been publicly advertised on the RFJ website," the department said in a statement. "RFJ tools can be utilized in a variety of ways, without publicizing them on the website."

[link to www.foxnews.com]