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Former President Donald Trump has repeatedly shown his wish to see opponents investigated, applying pressure on the Justice Department to charge ex FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

"We can't delay further, it's damaging our reputation and credibility," the president stated last month in a Truth Social post.

"I was impeached me, and charged me (5 times!)" he declared, referencing the multiple legal proceedings he encountered after departing the White House in 2021 and James's civil case.

Both have since been indicted, in situations that numerous experts have stated seem to be politically motivated and difficult to succeed in legal proceedings.

But the latest allegations against a Trump critic, former national security adviser John Bolton, differ significantly, legal specialists and ex-prosecutors assert.

"In my opinion, contrasting Bolton's case to James' is like equating two different things," said Mark Lesko, a ex acting US attorney for the Eastern District of New York.

The Specifics of Bolton's Legal Situation

Bolton has been formally charged on federal charges pertaining to the alleged improper handling of classified information. After departing the White House in 2019, he has emerged as a outspoken presidential opponent, even to call him "remarkably ignorant" and unsuitable for office in his memoir.

Experts contend that while there may be political motivations to target Bolton, the procedures used to obtain an indictment and the proof compiled against him indicate a potentially stronger legal argument than the Justice Department brought against Comey.

"This misconduct that's being claimed is simultaneously more severe and appears to have taken place over a significant period of time," said Carissa Byrne Hessick, a professor at the University of North Carolina School of Law.

Throughout his tenure as Trump's security advisor, and after his 2019 White House exit, prosecutors claimed that Bolton placed the nation at danger by improperly keeping and sending sensitive documents to relatives using unprotected methods, including AOL. Several of the materials were marked top secret.

The indictment alleges that at a certain time a hacker accessed to Bolton's account where documents were kept and transmitted an apparent warning to cause "the largest controversy since Hillary [Clinton]'s emails were leaked".

Bolton pleaded not guilty during a hearing on recently to eighteen separate counts of improperly handling classified information.

Political Motivation or a Substantial Case?

The timing of his charge - coming on the heels of allegations against Comey - has revived questions about political pressure on the justice system.

Trump once suggested Bolton should be in jail, and called him a "sleazebag". Bolton, for his part, authored a publication about his experience in the Trump administration that was sharply negative of the president.

"Undoubtedly that the timing of this charge, when paired with additional cases, has raised questions about the strength of these charges, and why these counts are being filed at this time," stated Jamil Jaffer, founder and director of the National Security Institute.

However, he added, "should the DOJ is capable to demonstrate the allegations alleged and demonstrate the information is properly classified, his conduct may certainly have violated the law".

Prosecuting such a senior official for improperly handling classified documents is "uncommon" but not unprecedented, noted Carrie Cordero, a expert at the Center for a New American Security.

"Cases that concern classified information pose difficulties to try, but they can and are filed against equally low-level and senior officials, from occasionally," she explained.

Similarities to Investigations into Former President and President

Trump similarly encountered allegations of wrongfully storing sensitive materials at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and hindering their recovery, but that matter was ultimately thrown out by a federal judge and negated by his return as president.

A independent investigator also found that former President Joe Biden improperly stored classified documents from his period as vice president, but failed to prosecute him.

Bolton's situation bears similarities to Biden's sensitive materials issues, said Mr Lesko, who also held a senior security position at the DOJ.

Rigorous procedures govern the handling of sensitive materials. To win a guilty verdict, the government must prove that Bolton was aware the information he was sending was restricted, and he had to knowingly transfer it to someone not entitled to obtain it.

"Due to the classified nature of the material at question in this matter, we don't have a great deal of details about why the prosecution contends elements like the diary entries and the additional material he communicated by email, and why there were restricted," said Mr Jaffer.

A Increasingly Conventional Prosecution

The process by which the Justice Department brought this case will be closely examined, after Trump publicly posted his wish to see his critics prosecuted and some of those indictments materialized.

But Mr Lesko said in Bolton's situation, authorities seem to have followed protocol.

"The Bolton prosecution and ultimately the indictment seemed to have observed the standard process including the rules and norms within the DOJ," he stated.

Unlike Comey's short, concise charge, Bolton's was a increasingly "conventional" document that "clearly sets forth the details involving the circumstances and circumstances in this instance," Mr Lesko said.

"It seems reasonably aligned with a series of precedents... where public servants improperly handled and shared classified material."