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Former President Donald Trump has repeatedly shown his wish to see opponents probed, applying pressure on the DOJ to prosecute 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 leader stated recently in a social media post.

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

Both have subsequently been indicted, in cases that many specialists have stated appear to be politically motivated and difficult to win in legal proceedings.

But the most recent allegations against a presidential opponent, former national security adviser John Bolton, differ significantly, legal experts and former prosecutors say.

"I would say, contrasting Bolton's charges to Comey's is like equating two different things," stated Mark Lesko, a ex acting US attorney for the Eastern District of New York.

The Specifics of the Legal Situation

Bolton has been criminally indicted on federal charges pertaining to the supposed improper handling of classified information. Since leaving the White House in 2019, he has become a outspoken presidential opponent, even to call him "stunningly uninformed" and unfit for the presidency in his book.

Experts say that while there may be political reasons to go after Bolton, the procedures used to obtain an charge and the evidence gathered against him suggest a possibly more substantial case than the Justice Department brought against James.

"This misconduct that's being alleged is both more severe and seems to have occurred over a considerable duration," commented Carissa Byrne Hessick, a academic at the University of North Carolina School of Law.

Throughout his tenure as Trump's national security adviser, and following his 2019 White House exit, authorities claimed that Bolton put the nation at danger by improperly keeping and sending sensitive documents to family members using unprotected methods, including AOL. Several of the materials were labeled top secret.

The charge alleges that at a certain time a unauthorized user gained access to Bolton's system where documents were stored and sent an apparent warning to cause "the biggest scandal since Hillary [Clinton]'s emails were leaked".

Bolton pleaded not guilty during a court appearance on recently to 18 separate charges of mishandling classified information.

Retribution or a Substantial Legal Argument?

The timing of his indictment - arriving on the tails of allegations against Comey - has revived concerns about external influence on the justice system.

Trump previously suggested Bolton should be in prison, and called 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 additional cases, has prompted doubts about the strength of these allegations, and why these counts are being filed at this time," said Jamil Jaffer, founder and executive director of the National Security Institute.

However, he added, "should the Justice Department is able to demonstrate the allegations alleged and show the material is properly designated, his behavior may very well have broken the statute".

Charging such a senior official for improperly handling classified documents is "rare" but not unprecedented, said Carrie Cordero, a expert at the Center for a New American Security.

"Cases that involve sensitive materials present challenges to prosecute, but they can and are filed against equally low-level and high-level personnel, from time to time," she explained.

Similarities to Examinations into Trump and President

Trump likewise encountered charges of improperly keeping sensitive materials at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida and hindering their recovery, but that case was ultimately thrown out by a court official and negated by his return as leader.

A special counsel also determined that former President Joe Biden wrongfully maintained sensitive materials from his period as second-in-command, but did not prosecute him.

Bolton's situation bears similarities to Trump's sensitive materials matters, noted Mr Lesko, who also held a senior security role at the Justice Department.

Rigorous protocols govern the management of sensitive materials. To win a conviction, the prosecution must demonstrate that Bolton knew the information he was transmitting was classified, and he had to intentionally transmit it to someone not entitled to receive it.

"Due to the classified nature of the information at question in this case, we lack a great deal of particulars about why the prosecution contends elements like the personal notes and the other material he shared by email, and the reason there were restricted," said Mr Jaffer.

A Increasingly Traditional Prosecution

The process by which the Justice Department initiated this case will be under scrutiny, after Trump openly expressed his wish to see his political opponents prosecuted and some of those indictments came to fruition.

But Mr Lesko said in Bolton's case, authorities seem to have followed standard procedure.

"This Bolton prosecution and ultimately the indictment appeared to have observed the regular procedure including the rules and standards within the DOJ," he said.

Unlike Comey's short, two-page charge, Bolton's was a increasingly "conventional" filing that "clearly sets forth the details involving the circumstances and circumstances in this instance," Mr Lesko said.

"It seems fairly consistent with a series of precedents... where public servants mishandled and transmitted classified material."