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Former President Donald Trump has consistently expressed his desire to see critics probed, exerting influence on the Justice Department to charge ex FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

"We can't delay any longer, it's killing our standing and credibility," the president stated recently in a social media message.

"They impeached twice, and charged me (five times!)" he said, referencing the multiple legal proceedings he faced after departing the White House in 2021 and James's lawsuit.

Each have since been charged, in cases that numerous specialists have said appear to be politically motivated and challenging to succeed in legal proceedings.

But the most recent allegations against a presidential opponent, former security advisor John Bolton, stand apart, legal specialists and former prosecutors say.

"I would say, comparing 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 the Legal Situation

Bolton has been formally charged on federal charges related to the supposed improper handling of classified information. After departing the White House in 2019, he has emerged as a outspoken presidential opponent, even to describe him "stunningly uninformed" and unfit for office in his memoir.

Specialists say that while there may be political motivations to target Bolton, the procedures used to secure an indictment and the evidence gathered against him indicate a potentially more substantial case than the Justice Department brought against James.

"These actions that's being alleged 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 security advisor, and after his 2019 White House exit, prosecutors claimed that Bolton put the country at danger by improperly retaining and transmitting sensitive documents to relatives using unprotected methods, including AOL. Several of the documents were marked highly classified.

The charge states that at one point a unauthorized user gained access to Bolton's system where files were kept and sent an seeming threat to cause "the biggest scandal since Hillary [Clinton]'s emails were leaked".

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

Retribution or a Strong Legal Argument?

The schedule of his indictment - coming on the heels of allegations against Comey - has revived concerns about political pressure on the legal system.

Trump previously implied Bolton should be in jail, and described him a "sleazebag". Bolton, for his part, wrote 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 raised questions about the validity of these allegations, and the reason these counts are being brought at this time," said Jamil Jaffer, founder and director of the National Security Institute.

Nevertheless, he continued, "should the DOJ is able to prove the facts alleged and show the information is properly designated, his behavior may certainly have broken the statute".

Prosecuting such a senior figure for mishandling classified documents is "uncommon" but not without precedent, said Carrie Cordero, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security.

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

Parallels to Investigations into Former President and President

Trump likewise encountered allegations of improperly keeping sensitive materials at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida and hindering their recovery, but that matter was ultimately thrown out by a federal judge and voided by his return as president.

A independent investigator additionally found that former President Joe Biden wrongfully maintained sensitive materials from his time as second-in-command, but failed to prosecute him.

Bolton's situation shares characteristics to Biden's sensitive materials issues, noted Mr Lesko, who previously held a top security position at the Justice Department.

Rigorous procedures govern the management of sensitive materials. To win a guilty verdict, the prosecution must prove that Bolton was aware the material he was transmitting was classified, and he had to intentionally transfer it to someone without authorization to obtain it.

"Due to the classified character of the information at question in this case, we don't have a lot of details about why the government contends elements like the diary entries and the other material he shared by email, and the reason there were restricted," explained Mr Jaffer.

A More Conventional Prosecution

The procedure by which the DOJ initiated this legal action will be closely examined, after Trump publicly expressed his desire to see his critics charged and some of those indictments materialized.

But Mr Lesko said in Bolton's case, authorities appear to have adhered to protocol.

"This Bolton prosecution and ultimately the charge appeared to have observed the regular procedure including the regulations and norms within the DOJ," he stated.

Unlike Comey's short, concise indictment, Bolton's was a increasingly "conventional" filing that "clearly outlines the details concerning the facts and circumstances here," Mr Lesko said.

"It appears reasonably consistent with a long line of precedents... where public servants mishandled and transmitted classified material."