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

"We cannot postpone further, it's killing our standing and credibility," the leader wrote last month in a social media message.

"They impeached me, and charged me (5 times!)" he declared, mentioning the four criminal cases he encountered after departing the White House in 2021 and James's lawsuit.

Both have subsequently been indicted, in cases that numerous experts have said seem to be driven by politics and difficult to succeed in legal proceedings.

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

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

This Specifics of Bolton's Case

Bolton has been criminally indicted on federal charges pertaining to the alleged improper handling of sensitive materials. After departing the White House in 2019, he has become a vocal Trump critic, going so far as to describe him "remarkably ignorant" and unsuitable for office in his memoir.

Specialists contend that while there may be political motivations to target Bolton, the methods used to secure an indictment and the proof compiled against him indicate a potentially more substantial case than the DOJ presented against James.

"This misconduct that's being claimed is simultaneously more severe and seems 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.

During his time as Trump's security advisor, and following his 2019 White House exit, authorities alleged that Bolton placed the nation at risk by wrongfully retaining and sending sensitive documents to relatives using insecure means, including AOL. Several of the materials were labeled highly classified.

The indictment states that at one point a unauthorized user accessed to Bolton's system where files were stored and sent an seeming warning to cause "the biggest controversy since Hillary [Clinton]'s emails were released".

Bolton pleaded not guilty during a court appearance on Friday to eighteen separate counts of improperly handling sensitive materials.

Political Motivation or a Substantial Case?

The schedule of his charge - coming on the heels of allegations against James - has renewed concerns about external influence on the justice system.

Trump previously suggested Bolton belonged in prison, and described him a "disreputable person". Bolton, for his role, wrote a publication about his time in the Trump administration that was highly critical of the leader.

"There's no question that the schedule of this charge, when combined with additional cases, has raised questions about the strength of these allegations, and the reason these counts are being filed at this time," said Jamil Jaffer, creator and director of the National Security Institute.

However, he continued, "should the Justice Department is able to demonstrate the facts stated and demonstrate the material is properly classified, his behavior may certainly have broken the statute".

Prosecuting such a high-ranking figure for improperly handling sensitive materials is "rare" but not unprecedented, said Carrie Cordero, a expert at the Center for a New American Security.

"Situations that involve sensitive materials pose difficulties to try, but they may and are filed against both low-level and high-level personnel, from time to time," she explained.

Parallels to Examinations into Former President and Biden

Trump likewise encountered allegations of wrongfully storing sensitive materials at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and obstructing their return, but that case was ultimately dismissed by a federal judge and voided by his re-election as leader.

A independent investigator additionally found that former President Joe Biden improperly maintained classified documents from his time as vice president, but failed to criminally charge him.

Bolton's case bears similarities to Trump's classified documents issues, said Mr Lesko, who also held a top national security position at the Justice Department.

Strict protocols govern the handling of classified documents. To secure a conviction, the prosecution must prove that Bolton knew the information he was transmitting was classified, and he had to intentionally transfer it to someone not entitled to obtain it.

"Because of the sensitive nature of the material at question in this case, we lack a great deal of particulars about why the prosecution believes elements like the personal notes and the additional material he shared by electronic message, and why there were classified," said Mr Jaffer.

A Increasingly Traditional Prosecution

The procedure by which the Justice Department initiated this case will be closely examined, after Trump openly posted his desire to see his critics charged and some of those indictments materialized.

But Mr Lesko said in Bolton's situation, prosecutors appear to have followed protocol.

"The Bolton prosecution and ultimately the indictment appeared to have followed the regular process including the rules and norms within the DOJ," he said.

In contrast to Comey's short, two-page charge, Bolton's was a increasingly "traditional" filing that "explicitly outlines the details involving the facts and situation here," Mr Lesko commented.

"It seems fairly aligned with a long line of precedents... where public servants mishandled and transmitted classified material."