In certain niche areas "consulting" is just another way of saying "I've gone freelance". Management consulting (aka the people that will say "I'm a consultant!"

In certain niche areas "consulting" is just another way of saying "I've gone freelance". Management consulting (aka the people that will say "I'm a consultant!") is a different set of tires and almost always used for 'idea laundering' and plausible deniability as you said. A lot of them are fresh grads from renowned universities, "skilled" in powerpoint, and that's about it. The big firms hire them in droves to give their advice the appearance of "intellectual superiority". It's a well known source of jokes amongst management consultants.