“I haven’t discussed that with Secretary Bolton,” Shanahan said when asked about Bolton's notes.
Asked whether he would rule out sending 5,000 troops to Colombia, Shanahan said, “I am not commenting on it.”
During a press briefing on Monday about new sanctions against Venezuela, Bolton was photographed holding a yellow notepad that read: "5,000 troops to Colombia," prompting widespread speculation that senior US security officials are discussing plans to deploy military forces to the Latin American country, which borders Venezuela.
Prior to this, US President Donald Trump said that all options were on the table for Venezuela after his administration recognised opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country's interim president.
