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Christian Tamotsu Fjeld

Senior Vice President

[email protected]

+1.202.434.7433

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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

Congress Passes Defense Bill with AI Provisions — AI: The Washington Report

December 19, 2024 | Article | By Bruce Sokler, Alexander Hecht, Christian Tamotsu Fjeld, Matthew Tikhonovsky

Read about the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes a number of AI 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.

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Trump Taps David Sacks as AI and Crypto Czar — AI: The Washington Report

December 12, 2024 | Article | By Bruce Sokler, Alexander Hecht, Christian Tamotsu Fjeld, Matthew Tikhonovsky

Read about David Sacks’ appointment to “White House AI & Crypto Czar” by incoming President Donald Trump 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. 

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Senators Hold Hearing on AI Fraud and Scams, Vow to Pass AI Bills in Coming Weeks — AI: The Washington Report

November 22, 2024 | Article | By Bruce Sokler, Alexander Hecht, Christian Tamotsu Fjeld, Matthew Tikhonovsky

Read about the Senate Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security hearing on “Protecting Consumers from Artificial Intelligence Enabled Fraud and Scams” 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.

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AI Under a Second Trump Administration — AI: The Washington Report

November 14, 2024 | Article | By Bruce Sokler, Alexander Hecht, Christian Tamotsu Fjeld, Matthew Tikhonovsky

Read about the AI priorities and policies that Trump is likely to pursue during his second term as president 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. 

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2024 Post-Election Analysis

November 8, 2024 | Article | By Alexander Hecht, R. Neal Martin, Anthony DeMaio, Frank C. Guinta, Christian Tamotsu Fjeld, John Lushetsky, Pamela Mejia, Myria S. Garcia

Read ML Strategies’ in-depth analysis of how the results of the November 2024 elections are likely to shape policy in many areas, including energy & sustainability, US-Canada cross-border issues, taxation, health care, international trade, infrastructure, consumer product safety, and financial services, and what to expect in the upcoming lame duck session of Congress.

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Federal Agencies Take Action on AI One Year After AI Executive Order — AI: The Washington Report

November 7, 2024 | Article | By Bruce Sokler, Alexander Hecht, Christian Tamotsu Fjeld, Matthew Tikhonovsky

Read about the one-year anniversary of the Biden administration’s Executive Order on AI (AI EO) 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. 

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The Biden Administration Issues National Security Memorandum on AI – AI: The Washington Report

November 1, 2024 | Article | By Bruce Sokler, Alexander Hecht, Christian Tamotsu Fjeld, Matthew Tikhonovsky

Read about the Biden administration’s National Security Memorandum on artificial intelligence 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. 

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OMB Issues Additional Guidance to Federal Agencies on their Acquisition of AI — AI: The Washington Report

October 24, 2024 | Article | By Bruce Sokler, Alexander Hecht, Christian Tamotsu Fjeld, Matthew Tikhonovsky

Read about the new memorandum from the Office of Management and Budget on Advancing the Responsible Acquisition of Artificial Intelligence in Government 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.

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Led by DOJ, Federal Agencies Convene to Coordinate Safeguarding Civil Rights from AI-Related Harms — AI: The Washington Report

October 16, 2024 | Article | By Bruce Sokler, Alexander Hecht, Christian Tamotsu Fjeld, Matthew Tikhonovsky

Read about the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Civil Rights Division convening of the heads of federal agency civil rights offices to discuss and promote coordination around preventing harms that may stem from AI, including unlawful discrimination 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.

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G7 Competition Authorities, Including DOJ and FTC, Release Joint Statement on AI Competition — AI: The Washington Report

October 11, 2024 | Article | By Bruce Sokler, Alexander Hecht, Christian Tamotsu Fjeld, Matthew Tikhonovsky

Read about G7 competition authorities’ Digital Competition Communique 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.

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News & Press

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Vice President of ML Strategies Christian Fjeld provided insights for a feature article published by The National Law Review examining the privacy implications of Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen’s testimony before a Congressional Subcommittee regarding harms perpetuated by the tech giant.
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Vice President of ML Strategies Christian Fjeld was quoted in an article published by Bloomberg Law on how the Internet of Things Cybersecurity Improvement Act of 2020 may impact the industry due to the government’s purchasing power.
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In Thomson Reuters’ Westlaw, Vice President of ML Strategies Christian Fjeld was quoted on the Internet of Things (IoT) Cybersecurity Improvement Act of 2020, which establishes security standards for IoT devices owned or controlled by the federal government and was recently signed into law by President Trump, and its potential “spillover effects” into the private sector.
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In an article published by Law360, Vice President of ML Strategies Christian Fjeld was quoted on how the 2020 election could reshape the communications industry, specifically with regards to leadership on relevant congressional committees and the possibility of reform of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.
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In an article published by Law360, Vice President of ML Strategies Christian Fjeld was quoted on lawmaker efforts to amend Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.
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Vice President of ML Strategies Christian Fjeld was quoted in an article published by Reuters discussing the increase of price gouging due to COVID-19 and its legality.
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Vice President of ML Strategies Christian Fjeld was quoted in an article published by Legaltech News on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s approval of robotics company Nuro’s request for three exemptions to deploy its fully autonomous car fleet in the United States.
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On December 9, 2019, Vice President of ML Strategies Christian T. Fjeld participated in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Business Table of Experts discussion hosted by the San Francisco Business Times. During the forum, panelists addressed how businesses can leverage AI to drive innovation, the impact AI will have on the economy and on society, and the meaning of artificial intelligence itself.
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In this Q&A published by Legaltech News, Vice President of ML Strategies Christian Fjeld—former lead Democratic Senate staffer tasked with shepherding the American Vision for Safer Transportation through Advancement of Revolutionary Technologies Act (AV START Act) through the Senate—discussed why Congress failed to pass the AV START Act, how autonomous vehicles’ complexity isn’t lawmakers’ largest hurdle, and why the data privacy debate may factor into the next autonomous vehicle bill.
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Events & Speaking

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Moderator
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Nov
5
2020

Decision 2020: Post-Election Breakdown

ML Strategies Webinar

View the Discussion Recording

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Speaker
Panelist
Jun
19
2019

Health Care & Cybersecurity: A Powerful Combination

ML Strategies, 701 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Suite 900, Washington, DC 20004

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Christian Tamotsu Fjeld

Senior Vice President

Washington, DC