John Bolton's notes about '5,000 troops to Colombia' raise questions about U.S. military role in Venezuela It was also not clear whether Bolton's disclosure at a press briefing of the notes — Colombia borders Venezuela — was intentional Article content White House national security adviser John Bolton raised questions about the United States’ intentions in Venezuela after he appeared at a briefing on Monday with a notepad containing the words “5,000 troops to Colombia,” which neighbours Venezuela. It was not immediately clear what Bolton’s notes meant and whether President Donald Trump’s administration was seriously considering sending U.S. troops to Colombia. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or John Bolton's notes about '5,000 troops to Colombia' raise questions about U.S. military role in Venezuela Back to video It was also not clear if disclosure of the notes was intentional, and there was no indication that such a military option would be used any time soon. Asked about a photograph depicting the notes, a White House spokesman said on Monday: “As the President has said, all options are on the table.” Photo by Evan Vucci/AP Pentagon spokesman Colonel Rob Manning said the number of U.S. military personnel in Colombia remained unchanged as part of a pre-existing partnership. A U.S. official, who asked not to be named, said they “have seen nothing to support” Bolton’s annotation.<doc-sep>Send this page to someone via email U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton has refused to rule out military intervention in crisis-stricken Venezuela. Speaking after the Trump administration slapped wide-ranging sanctions on Venezuela’s state-owned oil firm PDVSA, Bolton said about next steps that, “The president has made it very clear on this matter that all options are on the table.” READ MORE: Canada hosting ‘urgent’ Lima Group meeting on Venezuela as U.S sanctions oil Bolton didn’t say what those options might be. But a line scrawled on his notepad appeared to say something about troops in Colombia. “Afghanistan -> Welcome the talks,” read the first line. The second read: “5,000 troops to Colombia.” A zoomed-in image of a notepad held by U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton appears to say “5,000 troops to Colombia.”. Reuters/Jim Young Bolton, long known to hold hawkish views on U.S. foreign policy, didn’t elaborate on what the note meant. A White House spokesman asked about it by a CNN reporter deferred back to Bolton’s comments about all options being on the table. Story continues below advertisement WATCH: Bolton says safety of U.S. diplomatic personnel in Venezuela ‘top priority’ 1:01 Safety of US diplomatic personnel in Venezuela ‘top priority’: Bolton Safety of US diplomatic personnel in Venezuela ‘top priority’: Bolton – Jan 28, 2019 However, Bolton did suggest that he believed sections of the Venezuelan military might be leaning towards abandoning embattled socialist president Nicolas Maduro, who is under pressure from the U.S. and other countries to hand over power to opposition leader Juan Guaido. “Our assessment, based on numerous contacts on the ground, is that the rank and file of the Venezuelan military is acutely aware of the desperate economic conditions in the country and we think they look for ways to support the National Assembly government,” Bolton said. Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan declined to say whether the U.S. is considering deploying troops to Colombia, saying, “I haven’t discussed that with Secretary Bolton.” WATCH: Mnuchin says sanctions on Venezuela will be lifted once Maduro has left power 2:28 Mnuchin: Sanctions on Venezuela will lift once Maduro has left power Mnuchin: Sanctions on Venezuela will lift once Maduro has left power – Jan 28, 2019 Under mounting pressure, Maduro on Sunday oversaw a display of the Venezuelan army’s Russian hardware. Story continues below advertisement He said the display showed the world that he had the backing of his military, which he said was ready to defend the country. READ MORE: Maduro oversees military exercises as pressure mounts on Venezuelan leader Maduro has previously accused Bolton and the U.S. of colluding with Colombia to try and assassinate him. In a press conference in December, Maduro said the U.S. was using “dirty dollars bled from the U.S. empire” to train Colombian mercenaries to carry out the assassination, with the blessing of Colombian President Ivan Duque. Colombia, one of numerous countries to see a huge influx in Venezuelan migrants fleeing food shortages and devastating inflation, rejected Maduro’s claim. — With a file from Reuters Follow @Kalvapalle<doc-sep>It would not be the first time that notes or a briefing had been inadvertently released to the public after being captured on camera in the Trump White House. Kris Kobach, the former secretary of state of Kansas and a Trump ally, was photographed holding a document for a “strategic plan,” for the Department of Homeland Security during the transition in 2016, with the text visible above his hand. The plan included hard-line anti-immigration proposals such as reducing the intake of Syrian refugees to zero.<doc-sep>
A US Spy plane has been spotted near the Venezuelan border Speculation of a coming conflict is increasing after US President Donald Trump said military force in Venezuela is still on the table. The President's comments came in an interview taped Friday with CBS's Margaret Brennan on "Face the Nation" in which he referred to military intervention, saying "it's an option" for his administration. Trump has on a multitude of occasions stated that all options were on the table for Caracas. The US spy plane is an EO-5C reconnaissance aircraft and was spotted by flight-tracking groups on Thursday. The plane appeared to be busy flying missions over the border area between Colombia and Venezuela. The latest developments come shortly after the photo of US National Security Adviser John Bolton holding a yellow notepad with the words “5,000 troops to Colombia” on it. The note was spotted during a press conference about new sanctions against Venezuela. READ MORE: Latin America and Canada plot plan to oust Venezuela's Maduro Nicolas Maduro has the backing of Russia and China The UK, along with other European countries, has formally recognised Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido as its acting president. Mr Guaido is challenging Nicolas Maduro for the presidency in a move that has been backed by most Western powers. A number of planes, including one C17A military transport aircraft Globemaster and one Boeing 737 were seen in the sky over Colombia, according to Colombian radio station, The FM. The Trump administration is now ramping up its pressure on Maduro to step down. The US embassy in Caracas US won't sanction UAE over Venezuela gold buy says expert