Trump stretch­es influ­ence over GOP as John­son seeks to retain speak­er­ship

For­mer Pres­i­dent Don­ald Trump proved this week that he still holds con­sid­er­able sway over House Repub­li­cans, with a vis­it from Speak­er Mike John­son (R‑LA) and a con­tro­ver­sial leg­isla­tive vote high­light­ing how much chaos a few sen­tences from the for­mer pres­i­dent can spark.
Since the House GOP took the major­i­ty after the 2022 midterm elec­tions, Trump con­tin­ues to put his fin­ger­prints over leg­isla­tive and cam­paign busi­ness, efforts that have led to par­ty infight­ing and stalled pol­i­cy pro­pos­als key to run­ning the coun­try. 
Most recent­ly, he got involved in the fight to renew Sec­tion 702 of the For­eign Intel­li­gence Sur­veil­lance Act, a key sur­veil­lance tool essen­tial to nation­al secu­ri­ty. The House passed the leg­is­la­tion, but not with­out oppo­si­tion from the for­mer pres­i­dent, who cre­at­ed a more c …