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

"We cannot postpone any longer, it's killing our reputation and credibility," the leader stated last month in a social media message.

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

Each have subsequently been charged, in cases that numerous experts have stated seem to be driven by politics and challenging to win in legal proceedings.

But the most recent charges against a Trump critic, ex national security adviser John Bolton, stand apart, legal specialists and former prosecutors assert.

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

This Specifics of Bolton's Legal Situation

Bolton has been criminally indicted on federal charges pertaining to the supposed mishandling of classified information. After departing the White House in 2019, he has become a outspoken presidential opponent, even to describe him "remarkably ignorant" and unsuitable for office in his book.

Experts say that while there may be political motivations to go after Bolton, the methods used to obtain an charge and the evidence compiled against him suggest a potentially more substantial case than the Justice Department presented against Comey.

"These actions that's being alleged is simultaneously more severe and appears to have occurred over a significant duration," commented Carissa Byrne Hessick, a academic at the University of North Carolina School of Law.

Throughout his time as Trump's security advisor, and following his 2019 White House departure, authorities claimed that Bolton placed the country at risk by wrongfully retaining and transmitting sensitive documents to relatives using unprotected methods, including AOL. Several of the materials were labeled top secret.

The charge states that at a certain time a hacker accessed to Bolton's account where documents were stored and sent an seeming warning to cause "the largest scandal since Hillary [Clinton]'s emails were leaked".

Bolton pleaded not guilty during a court appearance on Friday to 18 distinct counts of mishandling classified information.

Political Motivation or a Strong Case?

The timing of his indictment - coming on the heels of allegations against Comey - has renewed questions about external influence on the justice system.

Trump previously implied Bolton belonged in prison, and called him a "disreputable person". Bolton, for his part, wrote a publication about his experience in the Trump government that was highly critical of the leader.

"There's no question that the timing of this charge, when combined with additional cases, has raised doubts about the strength of these charges, and the reason these charges are being filed now," stated Jamil Jaffer, founder and executive director of the National Security Institute.

However, he continued, "should the DOJ is able to prove the allegations alleged and demonstrate the information is properly classified, his behavior may very well have violated the statute".

Charging such a high-ranking figure for improperly handling classified documents is "rare" but not without precedent, said Carrie Cordero, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security.

"Situations that involve sensitive materials pose difficulties to try, but they may and are brought against equally junior and senior officials, from time to time," she explained.

Similarities to Investigations into Former President and President

Trump likewise encountered allegations of improperly storing sensitive materials at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and obstructing their recovery, but that matter was ultimately thrown out by a court official and voided by his re-election as leader.

A independent investigator also determined that former President Joe Biden improperly stored sensitive materials from his time as vice president, but did not prosecute him.

Bolton's situation bears similarities to Biden's sensitive materials matters, said Mr Lesko, who previously held a senior security role at the Justice Department.

Rigorous protocols regulate the handling of classified documents. To secure a guilty verdict, the government must prove that Bolton was aware the material he was transmitting was restricted, and he had to knowingly transmit it to someone not entitled to receive it.

"Because of the classified character of the material at issue in this matter, we don't have a great deal of particulars about why the prosecution believes things like the personal notes and the additional information he communicated by email, and the reason there were restricted," said Mr Jaffer.

A Increasingly Traditional Legal Action

The process by which the Justice Department brought this legal action will be under scrutiny, after Trump publicly expressed his wish to see his political opponents prosecuted and some of those indictments materialized.

But Mr Lesko said in Bolton's situation, authorities seem to have adhered to standard procedure.

"The Bolton case and ultimately the charge seemed to have followed the standard process including the regulations and norms within the Department of Justice," he said.

In contrast to Comey's short, two-page charge, Bolton's was a more "traditional" document that "explicitly sets forth the details concerning the facts and circumstances in this instance," Mr Lesko said.

"It seems reasonably consistent with a series of precedents... where public servants improperly handled and transmitted sensitive information."