Pentagon chief won’t say if officials are considering sending troops to Colombia

Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan on Tuesday would not say whether the Pentagon is considering sending 5,000 U.S. troops to Colombia.

Shanahan told reporters at the Pentagon that he had not discussed such a plan with national security adviser John Bolton, who on Monday was seen holding a yellow notepad in the White House briefing room that appeared to include the phrase, “5,000 troops to Colombia.”

{mosads}Asked whether there are any plans to send troops to Colombia, Shanahan replied: “I haven’t discussed that with Secretary Bolton.”

He would not answer shouted questions as to whether he had discussed the option with anyone else in the Trump administration.

Bolton’s note sparked speculation about possible U.S. military intervention in Colombia’s neighbor, Venezuela.

The administration last week recognized Juan Guaidó, the president of Venezuela’s National Assembly, as the nation’s interim president.

Election officials said Nicolás Maduro won the most recent vote, but many organizations as well as the U.S. consider the results illegitimate. Maduro has vowed to hold onto power, and last Wednesday gave all U.S. diplomats 72 hours to leave the country. He later backed down on the threat.

At the beginning of Tuesday’s briefing, Shanahan told reporters that the State and Treasury departments are “taking significant number of steps to recognize the national assembly and President Guaido,” while the Pentagon is supporting and “monitoring the situation very carefully and we’re watching.”

“We are working very much in real time,” he added.

The White House said Monday that “all options” remain on the table when it comes to Venezuela.