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Ex-President Donald Trump has consistently shown 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 can't delay further, it's damaging our standing and credibility," the president wrote recently in a Truth Social message.

"I was impeached twice, and charged me (5 times!)" he said, referencing the multiple legal proceedings he faced after leaving the White House in 2021 and James's lawsuit.

Each have subsequently been charged, in situations that numerous specialists have stated seem to be driven by politics and difficult to succeed in court.

But the most recent allegations against a Trump critic, ex security advisor John Bolton, stand apart, legal specialists and ex-prosecutors say.

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

This Specifics of the Legal Situation

Bolton has been criminally indicted on national allegations related 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 office in his book.

Experts contend that while there may be political motivations to target Bolton, the methods used to obtain an indictment and the proof compiled against him suggest a possibly stronger legal argument than the DOJ brought against James.

"This misconduct that's being claimed is both more serious and appears to have occurred over a significant period of time," said Carissa Byrne Hessick, a professor at the University of North Carolina School of Law.

During his tenure as Trump's national security adviser, and following his 2019 White House departure, authorities alleged that Bolton placed the country at risk by improperly keeping and sending classified information to family members using insecure means, including AOL. Several 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 documents were kept and transmitted an seeming warning to cause "the biggest scandal since Hillary [Clinton]'s emails were leaked".

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

Political Motivation or a Substantial Case?

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

Trump once implied Bolton belonged in prison, and described him a "sleazebag". Bolton, for his role, wrote a book about his experience in the Trump administration that was sharply negative of the leader.

"Undoubtedly that the timing of this indictment, when combined with others, has raised questions about the validity of these charges, and the reason these charges are being filed now," said Jamil Jaffer, creator and executive director of the National Security Institute.

However, he added, "if the DOJ is capable to prove the facts stated and demonstrate the material is correctly designated, his conduct may certainly have broken the statute".

Charging such a senior official 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 present difficulties to try, but they can and are filed against equally junior and senior personnel, from occasionally," she said.

Similarities to Investigations into Trump and President

Trump similarly faced allegations of wrongfully storing sensitive materials at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and hindering their return, but that matter was ultimately thrown out by a federal judge and negated by his re-election as leader.

A independent investigator additionally found that former President Joe Biden improperly stored classified documents from his period as vice president, but failed to criminally charge him.

Bolton's case bears similarities to Biden's sensitive materials issues, noted Mr Lesko, who also held a senior security role at the DOJ.

Rigorous protocols regulate the handling of classified documents. To secure a conviction, the government must prove that Bolton knew the material he was sending was classified, and he had to intentionally transfer it to someone without authorization to receive it.

"Due to the classified character of the information at question in this case, we don't have a great deal of particulars about why the prosecution contends things like the diary entries and the additional material he communicated by electronic message, and the reason there were restricted," explained Mr Jaffer.

A More Traditional Legal Action

The process by which the Justice Department initiated this legal action will be closely examined, following Trump publicly posted his wish to see his political opponents charged and several of those charges materialized.

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

"This Bolton case and eventually the indictment seemed to have followed the regular procedure including the rules and norms within the DOJ," he said.

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

"It appears fairly aligned with a series of cases... where public servants mishandled and shared sensitive information."