But a friend of Cohen’s said that so many potential clients approached the president’s lawyer after the election that he had to turn many down.

“An entrepreneur always understands their opportunities. And Michael has always been an entrepreneur,” said the friend, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private conversations.

In the wake of Trump’s election, Cohen collected at least $2.35 million from corporate clients, according to figures confirmed by the companies…

Selling access is common in Washington, but investigators could probe whether Cohen promised specific government actions in exchange for payments, which could cause him legal trouble. If he spent large amounts of time speaking to government officials on behalf of clients, investigators could also explore whether he should have registered as a lobbyist. They could also probe whether he made misstatements on bank records associated with his consulting company.