Power Trip
Trump Left These Men Behind. One Soldier Made It His Mission to Save Them.
Inside one man’s quest to save interpreters who risked their lives helping American soldiers abroad
Matt Zeller steps into the air-conditioned sanctum of the U.S. Senate offices, wondering if today will be any different. He will meet with five senators this morning and afternoon, each of whom has strong opinions on Zeller’s work and life calling. His face is flushed from the summer heat and a little bloated from stress. He puts his cellphone, wallet, and keys through security.
When I met Zeller last winter, he looked not exactly young but like a man coming into his own, with the taut frame and footnote-citing erudition of, say, a promising lawyer who’d just appeared before the Supreme Court. Now the 36-year-old wears all of his concerns. Ulcers line his esophagus, a rash spreads under his right cheek, and his physique carries extra weight. He is determined, however, walking quickly in his pinstripe suit even though he’s early for his 10 a.m. appointment with Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania.
“He doesn’t want to talk to me,” says Zeller in the elevator up.
He reaches Toomey’s office, and, as predicted, the senator’s legislative aides say…
