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

"We cannot postpone any longer, it's killing our reputation and trustworthiness," the president stated last month in a Truth Social message.

"I was impeached me, and charged me (five times!)" he said, referencing the multiple legal proceedings he faced after leaving the White House in 2021 and James's civil case.

Each have subsequently been indicted, in cases that numerous specialists have said seem to be driven by politics and challenging to succeed in legal proceedings.

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

"In my opinion, contrasting Bolton's case to Comey's is like comparing two different things," stated Mark Lesko, a former acting US attorney for the Eastern District of New York.

The Specifics of Bolton's Legal Situation

Bolton has been formally charged on federal charges related to the supposed mishandling of sensitive materials. Since leaving the White House in 2019, he has emerged as a vocal presidential opponent, even to call him "stunningly uninformed" and unfit for office in his book.

Specialists say that while there may be political motivations to target Bolton, the methods used to obtain an indictment and the proof gathered against him suggest a possibly more substantial legal argument than the Justice Department brought against Comey.

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

Throughout his tenure as Trump's security advisor, and after his 2019 White House departure, authorities claimed that Bolton placed the country at risk by improperly keeping and sending classified information to family members using unprotected methods, including AOL. Some of the documents were labeled top secret.

The indictment states that at a certain time a unauthorized user gained access to Bolton's system where files were kept and transmitted an apparent threat to cause "the largest scandal since Hillary [Clinton]'s emails were released".

Bolton entered a not guilty plea during a hearing on Friday to 18 distinct charges of mishandling classified information.

Retribution or a Substantial Legal Argument?

The timing of his charge - arriving on the heels of allegations against Comey - has renewed questions about external influence on the legal system.

Trump once suggested Bolton belonged in jail, and called him a "disreputable person". Bolton, for his role, wrote a publication about his time in the Trump government that was sharply negative of the leader.

"There's no question that the timing of this charge, when combined with additional cases, has raised questions about the strength of these allegations, and the reason these charges are being brought now," stated Jamil Jaffer, founder and director of the National Security Institute.

However, he added, "should the DOJ is capable to demonstrate the facts stated and demonstrate the information is correctly designated, his behavior may certainly have violated the law".

Charging such a high-ranking figure for improperly handling sensitive materials is "uncommon" but not without precedent, said Carrie Cordero, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security.

"Situations that involve classified information pose challenges to try, but they can and are brought against both low-level and senior personnel, from time to time," she explained.

Parallels to Examinations into Trump and Biden

Trump similarly faced allegations of wrongfully keeping sensitive materials at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida and obstructing their return, but that matter was eventually thrown out by a court official and voided by his return as leader.

A independent investigator also determined that former President Joe Biden improperly stored sensitive materials from his period as vice president, but failed to prosecute him.

Bolton's case bears similarities to Trump's classified documents issues, noted Mr Lesko, who previously held a senior security role at the Justice Department.

Strict procedures govern the handling of sensitive materials. To secure a guilty verdict, the government must prove that Bolton was aware the information he was transmitting was classified, and he had to knowingly transfer it to someone not entitled to obtain it.

"Because of the sensitive character of the information at issue in this case, we don't have a great deal of details about the reasons the prosecution believes elements like the personal notes and the additional information he shared by electronic message, and the reason there were classified," said Mr Jaffer.

A Increasingly Conventional Legal Action

The process by which the DOJ initiated this case will be closely examined, after Trump publicly expressed his desire to see his political opponents prosecuted and several of those charges came to fruition.

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

"The Bolton case and ultimately the indictment appeared to have followed the regular procedure including the rules and standards within the DOJ," he stated.

In contrast to Comey's brief, two-page indictment, Bolton's was a increasingly "conventional" filing that "clearly outlines the details involving the facts and circumstances in this instance," Mr Lesko commented.

"It appears reasonably aligned with a long line of precedents... where public servants mishandled and shared sensitive information."