Many of those insiders have become lobbyists, joining established Washington firms or starting their own shops. Gotham Government Relations and Communications, a New York law and lobbying firm that orchestrated Trump’s campaign announcement in 2015, opened a Washington office after Trump’s victory. So did Brian Ballard, a Florida lobbyist who had raised millions for Trump’s campaign.

Others, including Cohen and former Trump campaign chief Corey Lewandowski, avoided registering as lobbyists but took on work helping corporate clients understand Trump’s thinking.

“It’s a little bit like Lucy hanging out behind her table and charging people five cents for wisdom,” said Rich Gold, a longtime Democratic lobbyist, referring to the “Peanuts” character…

“The question was ‘Who is the real influence?’” the consultant said. “Is it Gary Cohn? Steve Bannon? Wilbur Ross? How do we get to Jared and Ivanka? Does anyone know Dina Powell? Does anyone listen to Steven Mnuchin? There’s no point talking to Reince Priebus, right? Every single client we had was trying to figure it out.”