The U.S. State Department is standing by the accuracy of its annual global report on human trafficking, following a news report that accused senior diplomats of manipulating the rankings of more than a dozen strategically important countries...

...Last month, the United States renewed diplomatic relations with Cuba after five decades of hostilities. U.S. officials have included Malaysia in a prospective Pacific Rim trade deal. In this year's report, both countries were moved from the blacklist to the watch list to see whether they improve their human rights record.

Some U.S. politicians sharply criticized the Obama administration in response to the Reuters report.

In a Twitter post, Democratic Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey called the account "alarming and unacceptable if true," and said "we must get to the bottom of this" at a Senate hearing later this week to review the report.

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