Christian is based in our Washington, DC office and is a Senior Vice President of ML Strategies. He assists a variety of clients in their interactions with the federal government.
Prior to joining ML Strategies, Christian spent 20 years on Capitol Hill, the last 10 of which he served as Senior Counsel and Subcommittee Staff Director on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. In so doing, he served under the current Chair, Senator Maria Cantwell (D – WA), as well as former Chairman John D. Rockefeller IV (D-WV) and former Ranking Member Bill Nelson (D-FL). In this capacity, his work focused on a broad range of issues, including consumer protection, privacy and data security, cybersecurity, automobile and highway safety, product safety, sports, manufacturing, exports, and trade, while regularly interacting with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), and the Department of Commerce.
Earlier, Christian held senior staff and advisory roles with the House of Representatives’ Committee on Energy & Commerce, where he worked on matters related to the FTC, NHTSA, CPSC, Department of Commerce, and the EPA.
Christian also previously served as a Senior Legislative Assistant to former Representative Bobby L. Rush (D-IL) and to former US Representative Bill Luther (D-MN), advising each on Energy & Commerce Committee issues.
viewpoints
Senate Strikes 10-Year State Law Moratorium from Budget Reconciliation Bill and Trump Plans to Sign AI Growth Executive Order — AI: The Washington Report
July 2, 2025 | Article | By Bruce Sokler, Alexander Hecht, Christian Tamotsu Fjeld, Aliza Inam
Read about the Senate’s removal of the AI moratorium and the administration’s energy and infrastructure push to support AI expansion, in the latest edition of AI: The Washington Report, a joint undertaking of Mintz and ML Strategies covering potential federal legislative, executive, and regulatory activities related to AI.
Senate Parliamentarian Approves Ted Cruz’s Rewritten 10-Year State AI Law Moratorium, and Senate Introduces Bipartisan Preventing Deep Fake Scams Act — AI: The Washington Report
June 26, 2025 | Article | By Bruce Sokler, Alexander Hecht, Christian Tamotsu Fjeld, Aliza Inam
Read about the Senate’s proposed bipartisan Preventing Deep Fake Scams Act and the implications of the reconciliation package’s energy provisions in the latest edition of AI: The Washington Report, a joint undertaking of Mintz and ML Strategies covering potential federal legislative, executive, and regulatory activities related to AI.
AI.gov Inadvertent Disclosure Reveals President’s Plan as AI Czar Delivers First Public Comments — AI: The Washington Report
June 18, 2025 | Article | By Bruce Sokler, Alexander Hecht, Christian Tamotsu Fjeld, Nicole Y. Teo
In this week’s edition of AI: The Washington Report, we analyze the significance of the government’s AI Action Plan, and how Sacks plans to work with the US private sector to further advance the country’s position on AI.
Trump Signs EO on AI Cybersecurity and Senate Floats New Approach to State AI Moratorium - AI: The Washington Report
June 13, 2025 | Article | By Bruce Sokler, Alexander Hecht, Christian Tamotsu Fjeld, Nicole Y. Teo
Read about the implications of the new Executive Order on AI and cybersecurity and the Senate’s tactical revisions to the state-level moratorium in the latest edition of AI: The Washington Report, a joint undertaking of Mintz and ML Strategies covering potential federal legislative, executive, and regulatory activities related to AI.
AI Law Moratorium Faces Senate Hurdles, and Federal Judge Limits Chatbots Free Speech — AI: The Washington Report
June 5, 2025 | Article | By Bruce Sokler, Alexander Hecht, Christian Tamotsu Fjeld, Nicole Y. Teo, Aliza Inam
Read about the proposed federal moratorium on state AI laws and the legal implications of the court decision on AI and free speech in the latest edition of AI: The Washington Report, a joint undertaking of Mintz and ML Strategies covering potential federal legislative, executive, and regulatory activities related to AI.
FTC Chair Ferguson Tells Congress Agency Needs Extra Resources to Enforce AI Deepfake Act, and Trump Signs Nuclear Energy EO — AI: The Washington Report
May 29, 2025 | Article | By Bruce Sokler, Alexander Hecht, Christian Tamotsu Fjeld, Matthew Tikhonovsky
Read about the FTC’s resource needs to enforce the TAKE IT DOWN Act, the Trump administration’s AI infrastructure plans through advanced nuclear power, and the implications of the developments for future AI policy in the latest edition of AI: The Washington Report, a joint undertaking of Mintz and ML Strategies covering potential federal legislative, executive, and regulatory activities related to AI.
President Trump Signs AI Deepfake Act into Law and House Passes AI Measures — AI: The Washington Report
May 22, 2025 | Article | By Bruce Sokler, Alexander Hecht, Christian Tamotsu Fjeld, Matthew Tikhonovsky
Read about the TAKE IT DOWN Act, the AI measures passed by the House as part of the budget reconciliation package, and the $200 billion US-UAE data center deal in the latest edition of AI: The Washington Report, a joint undertaking of Mintz and ML Strategies covering potential federal legislative, executive, and regulatory activities related to AI.
US Copyright Office Releases Third Report on AI Copyrightability, and House Committee Advances AI Legislation — AI: The Washington Report
May 16, 2025 | Article | By Bruce Sokler, Alexander Hecht, Christian Tamotsu Fjeld, Matthew Tikhonovsky
Read about the US Copyright Office’s third Report on Copyright and Artificial Intelligence Report and the House Committee’s reconciliation package in the latest edition of AI: The Washington Report, a joint undertaking of Mintz and ML Strategies covering potential federal legislative, executive, and regulatory activities related to AI.
Trump Repeals Biden AI Chip Controls and FTC Scrutinizes AI Claims — AI: The Washington Report
May 9, 2025 | Article | By Bruce Sokler, Alexander Hecht, Christian Tamotsu Fjeld, Matthew Tikhonovsky
Read about the policy shift reflected in the Trump administration’s decision to repeal the AI Diffusion Rule and the FTC’s recent action against Workado in the latest edition of AI: The Washington Report, a joint undertaking of Mintz and ML Strategies covering potential federal legislative, executive, and regulatory activities related to AI.
Congress Passes AI Deepfake Law, Trump Signs EO on AI Education — AI: The Washington Report
May 2, 2025 | Article | By Bruce Sokler, Alexander Hecht, Christian Tamotsu Fjeld, Matthew Tikhonovsky
Congress Passes AI Deepfake Law, Trump Signs EO on AI Education – AI: The Washington Report
News & Press
JD Supra has recognized ten Mintz attorneys in its 2025 Readers’ Choice Awards. The awards recognize attorneys and firms whose articles on the JD Supra platform were most read by C-suite executives, in-house counsel, media, and other professionals during 2024.
Privacy Implications of the Facebook Whistleblower Testimony
October 19, 2021
Cyber Standards for Connected Devices Leverage Federal Purchases
January 5, 2021
How The Election Could Reshape The Telecom Industry
November 2, 2020
Myriad Section 230 Bills Show Agreement Still Out Of Reach
October 19, 2020
Special Report: The Mask Middlemen - How Pop-Up Brokers Seek Big Paydays in a Frenzied Market
April 1, 2020
The Impact of AI: Bay Area Experts Discuss the Meaning of Artificial Intelligence and How it Will Affect the Economy and Society
January 24, 2020
Events & Speaking
Coronavirus (COVID-19): Managing the Privacy & Cybersecurity Risks
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Health Care & Cybersecurity: A Powerful Combination
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Recognition & Awards
JD Supra Readers’ Choice Award, Top Author – Artificial Intelligence, 2025
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