An investigation by Reuters recently found that the State Department's annual human trafficking report had been massively politicized to raise the grades of at least 14 countries, including Malaysia, Cuba, China, India, Uzbekistan, and Mexico.  Of course, gaming the process makes the report useless, so Congress will hold hearings this week to determine just how much influence was wielded outside the office responsible for human trafficking in order to alter the report's conclusions. Reuters: Amy Sobel, vice president of Human Rights First’s anti-trafficking campaign, said Reuters' findings pointed to broader political interference, which risked "eroding the effectiveness" of the report and undermining international efforts. State Department spokesman Mark Toner insisted the rankings are decided through “rigorous analysis” and said, "We stand by the process." But he acknowledged that...(Read Full Post)