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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 former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

"We can't delay any longer, it's killing our reputation and credibility," the leader wrote last month in a social media post.

"I was impeached twice, and indicted me (5 times!)" he said, mentioning the multiple legal proceedings he encountered after departing the White House in 2021 and James's lawsuit.

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

But the most recent charges against a Trump critic, former security advisor John Bolton, differ significantly, legal specialists and former prosecutors say.

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

The Details of the Case

Bolton has been criminally indicted on national allegations related to the alleged improper handling of sensitive materials. After departing the White House in 2019, he has emerged as a vocal presidential opponent, going so far as to describe him "remarkably ignorant" and unsuitable for the presidency in his memoir.

Specialists contend that while there may be political reasons to target Bolton, the procedures used to obtain an charge and the proof gathered against him suggest a possibly stronger case than the Justice Department brought against James.

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

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

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

Bolton pleaded not guilty during a hearing on Friday to 18 distinct counts of mishandling classified information.

Political Motivation or a Strong Case?

The schedule of his charge - coming on the heels of charges against James - has renewed questions about political pressure on the legal system.

Trump once implied Bolton should be in jail, and described him a "disreputable person". Bolton, for his part, authored a publication about his time in the Trump administration that was highly critical of the leader.

"There's no question that the schedule of this indictment, when combined with additional cases, has prompted questions about the strength of these allegations, and why these counts are being filed now," said Jamil Jaffer, founder and director of the National Security Institute.

However, he continued, "if the DOJ is capable to prove the allegations stated and demonstrate the material is properly designated, his conduct may certainly have violated the statute".

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

"Situations that concern classified information pose difficulties to prosecute, but they may and are filed against both low-level and senior officials, from occasionally," she said.

Similarities to Investigations into Trump and Biden

Trump likewise faced charges of improperly storing classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and obstructing their return, but that matter was eventually thrown out by a court official and negated by his return as president.

A independent investigator also found that ex-President Joe Biden improperly maintained sensitive materials from his time as second-in-command, but did not criminally charge him.

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

Rigorous procedures regulate the management of classified documents. To secure a guilty verdict, the prosecution must prove that Bolton was aware the material he was sending was restricted, and he had to intentionally transfer it to someone without authorization to obtain it.

"Because of the classified character of the information at issue in this case, we don't have a great deal of particulars about why the prosecution contends elements like the diary entries and the other material he communicated by electronic message, and why there were classified," said Mr Jaffer.

A More Conventional Legal Action

The procedure by which the DOJ brought this case will be under scrutiny, following Trump openly expressed his desire to see his critics charged and some of those charges materialized.

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

"The Bolton case and eventually the indictment appeared to have observed the standard procedure including the regulations and norms within the Department of Justice," he stated.

In contrast to Comey's short, two-page indictment, Bolton's was a increasingly "traditional" document that "explicitly sets forth the particulars concerning the circumstances and circumstances here," Mr Lesko said.

"It appears fairly aligned with a series of precedents... where public servants mishandled and shared classified material."