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

"We cannot postpone any longer, it's damaging our reputation and credibility," the president stated recently in a Truth Social post.

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

Both have subsequently been indicted, in cases that numerous experts have stated seem to be politically motivated and difficult to succeed in legal proceedings.

But the latest allegations against a presidential opponent, ex national security adviser John Bolton, stand apart, legal experts and former prosecutors say.

"I would say, comparing Bolton's charges to James' is like equating two different things," said Mark Lesko, a ex federal prosecutor for the Eastern District of New York.

This Specifics of the Case

Bolton has been criminally indicted on federal charges related to the supposed improper handling of sensitive materials. Since leaving the White House in 2019, he has emerged as a outspoken Trump critic, going so far as to call him "stunningly uninformed" and unfit for office in his book.

Specialists contend that while there may be political reasons to go after Bolton, the methods used to secure an charge and the proof gathered against him indicate a possibly more substantial legal argument than the DOJ brought against James.

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

During his time as Trump's security advisor, and following his 2019 White House exit, prosecutors alleged that Bolton put the country at danger by improperly keeping and sending sensitive documents to relatives using unprotected methods, including AOL. Several of the materials were labeled top secret.

The indictment alleges that at a certain time a unauthorized user gained access to Bolton's account where documents were kept and sent an apparent threat to cause "the biggest controversy since Hillary [Clinton]'s emails were released".

Bolton entered a not guilty plea during a court appearance on recently to 18 distinct charges of improperly handling classified information.

Retribution or a Strong Case?

The schedule of his charge - arriving on the tails of allegations against James - has revived questions about external influence on the legal system.

Trump previously suggested Bolton belonged in prison, and called him a "sleazebag". Bolton, for his role, authored a book about his time in the Trump government that was highly critical of the president.

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

However, he continued, "if the Justice Department is capable to demonstrate the facts alleged and demonstrate the information is properly classified, his conduct may very well have violated the law".

Prosecuting such a senior figure for mishandling sensitive materials is "uncommon" but not without precedent, noted Carrie Cordero, a expert at the Center for a New American Security.

"Cases that involve classified information pose challenges to prosecute, but they may and are brought against equally junior and senior personnel, from occasionally," she explained.

Parallels to Investigations into Former President and Biden

Trump similarly faced charges of wrongfully keeping sensitive materials at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and obstructing their recovery, but that case was ultimately thrown out by a court official and voided by his return as president.

A special counsel additionally found that ex-President Joe Biden improperly maintained classified documents from his time as second-in-command, but failed to prosecute him.

Bolton's situation shares characteristics to Trump's sensitive materials matters, said Mr Lesko, who previously held a senior security position at the Justice Department.

Strict procedures govern the handling of classified documents. To win a guilty verdict, the prosecution must prove that Bolton knew the material he was transmitting was restricted, and he had to intentionally transfer it to someone not entitled to obtain it.

"Because of the sensitive nature of the information at question in this matter, we lack a lot of particulars about why the government believes things like the personal notes and the additional material he communicated by email, and the reason there were classified," explained Mr Jaffer.

A More Traditional Prosecution

The process by which the Justice Department initiated this case will be under scrutiny, after Trump publicly expressed his wish to see his critics prosecuted and some of those charges materialized.

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

"This Bolton prosecution and eventually the indictment seemed to have followed the regular process including the rules and norms within the DOJ," he stated.

Unlike Comey's brief, concise charge, Bolton's was a increasingly "conventional" filing that "explicitly sets forth the particulars concerning the facts and situation here," Mr Lesko said.

"It appears reasonably consistent with a series of cases... where government officials improperly handled and shared classified material."