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Former President Donald Trump has consistently expressed his desire to see critics investigated, applying pressure on the Justice Department to prosecute former 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 wrote recently in a social media message.

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

Both have since been indicted, in situations that numerous specialists have stated seem to be driven by politics and challenging to win in legal proceedings.

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

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

The Details of the Legal Situation

Bolton has been criminally indicted on national allegations related to the alleged improper handling of classified information. Since departing the White House in 2019, he has emerged as a outspoken presidential opponent, even to call him "remarkably ignorant" and unfit for the presidency in his book.

Experts say that while there may be political reasons to target Bolton, the methods used to secure an indictment and the proof gathered against him indicate a possibly stronger legal argument than the DOJ presented against Comey.

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

Throughout his time as Trump's national security adviser, and following his 2019 White House exit, authorities claimed that Bolton placed the country at danger by improperly retaining and transmitting classified information to family members using unprotected methods, including AOL. Some of the documents were labeled top secret.

The charge states that at a certain time a hacker gained access to Bolton's account where files were kept and transmitted an seeming threat to cause "the largest controversy since Hillary [Clinton]'s emails were leaked".

Bolton pleaded not guilty during a hearing on recently to eighteen separate counts of mishandling classified information.

Political Motivation or a Substantial Legal Argument?

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

Trump once implied Bolton belonged in jail, and called him a "sleazebag". 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 timing of this indictment, when paired with additional cases, has raised questions about the validity of these charges, and why these counts are being brought at this time," stated Jamil Jaffer, founder and director of the National Security Institute.

Nevertheless, he added, "should the Justice Department is able to prove the allegations alleged and demonstrate the information is properly classified, his conduct may certainly have violated the statute".

Charging such a high-ranking figure for mishandling sensitive materials is "uncommon" but not unprecedented, said Carrie Cordero, a expert at the Center for a New American Security.

"Cases that involve classified information present challenges to try, but they can and are filed against both junior and senior officials, from occasionally," she said.

Similarities to Examinations into Former President and President

Trump similarly faced charges of wrongfully keeping sensitive materials at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida and hindering their return, but that case was eventually dismissed by a court official and voided by his return as leader.

A independent investigator also determined that ex-President Joe Biden wrongfully stored 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 role at the Justice Department.

Rigorous procedures regulate the management of classified documents. To win a guilty verdict, the prosecution must prove that Bolton was aware the material he was sending was classified, and he had to intentionally transfer it to someone not entitled to receive it.

"Because of the classified nature of the material at question in this case, we don't have a great deal of details about why the prosecution believes elements like the personal notes and the other information he shared by electronic message, and why there were restricted," explained Mr Jaffer.

A Increasingly Conventional Prosecution

The procedure by which the DOJ initiated this case will be closely examined, following Trump openly expressed his desire to see his critics charged and some of those indictments came to fruition.

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

"This Bolton case and eventually the indictment seemed to have followed the standard process including the regulations and norms within the Department of Justice," he stated.

Unlike Comey's short, concise indictment, Bolton's was a increasingly "conventional" document that "explicitly sets forth the details concerning the circumstances and situation here," Mr Lesko commented.

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