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Former President Donald Trump has consistently shown his desire to see opponents probed, exerting influence on the DOJ to prosecute ex FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

"We can't delay further, it's damaging our reputation and trustworthiness," the leader wrote recently in a Truth Social message.

"They impeached twice, and charged me (five times!)" he declared, mentioning the four criminal cases he encountered after leaving the White House in 2021 and James's civil case.

Each have subsequently been charged, in situations that numerous experts have stated seem to be politically motivated and challenging to succeed in legal proceedings.

But the latest charges against a Trump critic, ex security advisor John Bolton, differ significantly, legal specialists and ex-prosecutors assert.

"In my opinion, contrasting Bolton's charges to James' is like equating apples to oranges," stated Mark Lesko, a former acting US attorney for the Eastern District of New York.

This Specifics of Bolton's Case

Bolton has been formally charged on national allegations related to the alleged improper handling of classified information. Since departing the White House in 2019, he has become a vocal Trump critic, even to describe him "stunningly uninformed" and unfit for the presidency in his book.

Specialists say that while there may be political reasons to go after Bolton, the methods used to secure an indictment and the evidence compiled against him suggest a potentially more substantial case than the Justice Department brought against James.

"These actions that's being claimed is both more severe and seems to have occurred over a considerable period of time," commented Carissa Byrne Hessick, a professor at the University of North Carolina School of Law.

Throughout his time as Trump's national security adviser, and after his 2019 White House exit, prosecutors alleged that Bolton placed the nation at danger by improperly keeping and sending sensitive documents to relatives using insecure means, including AOL. Some of the materials were marked top secret.

The indictment alleges that at a certain time a unauthorized user gained access to Bolton's system where files were kept and transmitted an seeming threat to cause "the largest scandal since Hillary [Clinton]'s emails were released".

Bolton pleaded not guilty during a hearing on Friday to 18 distinct charges of mishandling sensitive materials.

Retribution or a Strong Case?

The timing of his indictment - arriving on the heels of charges against Comey - has renewed concerns about political pressure on the justice system.

Trump previously implied Bolton should be in prison, and called him a "sleazebag". Bolton, for his part, authored a book about his time in the Trump government that was highly critical of the leader.

"Undoubtedly that the schedule of this charge, when paired with others, has prompted questions about the strength of these allegations, and the reason these counts are being brought at this time," stated Jamil Jaffer, founder and director of the National Security Institute.

Nevertheless, he added, "if the DOJ is capable to prove the facts stated and show the material is properly designated, his conduct may certainly have broken the statute".

Charging such a high-ranking figure for improperly handling sensitive materials is "rare" but not unprecedented, noted Carrie Cordero, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security.

"Situations that involve classified information pose difficulties to prosecute, but they may and are filed against equally low-level and senior officials, from occasionally," she explained.

Parallels to Examinations into Former President and President

Trump likewise encountered charges of wrongfully keeping classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida and obstructing their return, but that case was eventually thrown out by a federal judge and negated by his return as leader.

A special counsel also found that ex-President Joe Biden improperly stored sensitive materials from his time as vice president, but failed to prosecute him.

Bolton's case shares characteristics to Biden's classified documents matters, noted Mr Lesko, who also held a senior national security role at the Justice Department.

Rigorous procedures regulate the handling of classified documents. To secure a guilty verdict, the prosecution must demonstrate that Bolton was aware the material he was sending was restricted, and he had to knowingly transfer it to someone not entitled to obtain it.

"Because of the sensitive nature of the information at question in this case, we lack a lot of details about the reasons the prosecution believes things like the personal notes and the other material he communicated by email, and the reason there were classified," explained Mr Jaffer.

A Increasingly Conventional Prosecution

The process by which the Justice Department brought this legal action will be closely examined, after Trump openly expressed his wish to see his critics charged and some of those charges came to fruition.

But Mr Lesko indicated in Bolton's situation, prosecutors seem to have followed protocol.

"This Bolton prosecution and eventually the charge appeared to have followed the regular procedure including the regulations and standards within the Department of Justice," he stated.

In contrast to Comey's short, two-page charge, Bolton's was a increasingly "traditional" filing that "clearly sets forth the particulars concerning the facts and situation in this instance," Mr Lesko said.

"It appears reasonably consistent with a series of cases... where government officials mishandled and transmitted classified material."