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Ex-President Donald Trump has repeatedly shown his desire to see critics probed, applying influence on the Justice Department to prosecute ex FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

"We can't delay further, it's damaging our standing and credibility," the president stated last month in a social media post.

"They 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 indicted, in situations that numerous experts have said appear to be politically motivated and challenging to succeed in court.

But the most recent charges against a presidential opponent, ex security advisor John Bolton, stand apart, legal experts and former prosecutors assert.

"I would say, contrasting Bolton's charges to James' is like equating apples to oranges," said Mark Lesko, a former federal prosecutor for the Eastern District of New York.

This Details of the Case

Bolton has been criminally indicted on national allegations related to the alleged improper handling of sensitive materials. Since leaving the White House in 2019, he has become a outspoken Trump critic, going so far as to describe him "remarkably ignorant" and unfit for the presidency in his book.

Specialists say that while there may be political reasons to target Bolton, the methods used to secure an indictment and the proof gathered against him suggest a possibly stronger case than the DOJ presented against James.

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

During his time as Trump's security advisor, and after his 2019 White House departure, authorities alleged that Bolton placed the country at danger by wrongfully retaining and sending sensitive documents to family members using unprotected methods, including AOL. Some of the materials were labeled top secret.

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

Bolton pleaded not guilty during a court appearance on Friday to eighteen separate charges of mishandling classified information.

Political Motivation or a Substantial Legal Argument?

The schedule of his charge - coming on the tails of allegations against Comey - has renewed questions about political pressure on the justice system.

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

"Undoubtedly that the schedule of this charge, when paired with additional cases, has raised questions about the strength of these charges, and why these charges are being brought now," stated Jamil Jaffer, founder and executive director of the National Security Institute.

Nevertheless, he continued, "should the DOJ is able to demonstrate the allegations stated and show the material is properly designated, his conduct may certainly have broken the law".

Charging such a high-ranking official for mishandling classified documents is "rare" but not unprecedented, noted Carrie Cordero, a expert at the Center for a New American Security.

"Situations that involve classified information pose challenges to try, but they can and are filed against equally low-level and senior personnel, from occasionally," she said.

Similarities to Investigations into Trump and President

Trump similarly faced allegations of improperly storing classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida and obstructing their return, but that case was eventually dismissed by a court official and negated by his return as president.

A special counsel additionally determined that former President Joe Biden improperly stored classified documents from his period as vice president, but did not prosecute him.

Bolton's situation shares characteristics to Biden's sensitive materials matters, said Mr Lesko, who also held a top national security role at the DOJ.

Rigorous protocols regulate the handling of classified documents. To win a conviction, the government must prove that Bolton was aware the material he was transmitting was restricted, and he had to knowingly transmit it to someone without authorization to receive it.

"Because of the sensitive nature of the material at question in this case, we lack a lot of particulars about why the prosecution contends elements like the diary entries and the additional information he shared by email, and why there were classified," explained Mr Jaffer.

A Increasingly Traditional Legal Action

The process by which the DOJ brought this case will be closely examined, following Trump publicly posted his wish to see his critics charged and several of those charges came to fruition.

But Mr Lesko indicated in Bolton's situation, authorities appear to have followed protocol.

"The Bolton prosecution and eventually the indictment seemed to have observed the regular process including the rules and norms within the Department of Justice," he said.

Unlike Comey's brief, two-page indictment, Bolton's was a increasingly "traditional" document that "explicitly sets forth the particulars concerning the circumstances and situation in this instance," Mr Lesko commented.

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