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Ex-President Donald Trump has consistently shown his wish to see opponents investigated, applying influence 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 killing our reputation and trustworthiness," the leader wrote last month in a social media message.

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

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

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

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

This 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 Trump critic, going so far as to describe him "stunningly uninformed" and unsuitable for the presidency in his book.

Specialists contend that while there may be political motivations to go after Bolton, the procedures used to secure an indictment and the proof compiled against him indicate a possibly stronger legal argument than the Justice Department presented against Comey.

"These actions that's being claimed is simultaneously more serious and seems to have occurred over a significant duration," said Carissa Byrne Hessick, a professor 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, prosecutors claimed that Bolton placed the country at danger by improperly keeping and sending classified information to family members using unprotected methods, including AOL. Several of the documents were marked top secret.

The indictment alleges that at a certain time a hacker accessed to Bolton's account where documents were stored and transmitted an seeming threat to cause "the biggest scandal since Hillary [Clinton]'s emails were leaked".

Bolton pleaded not guilty during a court appearance on recently to 18 distinct charges of improperly handling sensitive materials.

Retribution or a Strong Case?

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

Trump previously implied Bolton belonged in jail, and described him a "disreputable person". Bolton, for his part, wrote a book about his time in the Trump government that was highly critical of the leader.

"Undoubtedly that the timing of this charge, when combined with additional cases, has raised questions about the validity of these charges, and why these charges are being brought now," stated Jamil Jaffer, founder and director of the National Security Institute.

Nevertheless, he added, "should the Justice Department is able to prove the facts stated and demonstrate the material is properly designated, his conduct may very well have broken the law".

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

"Situations that involve classified information pose challenges to prosecute, but they may and are brought against both junior and high-level personnel, from time to time," she explained.

Parallels to Investigations into Former President and President

Trump likewise faced charges of improperly keeping classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and obstructing their recovery, but that case was ultimately dismissed by a court official and negated by his return as president.

A independent investigator also determined that ex-President Joe Biden wrongfully stored sensitive materials from his time as vice president, but failed to prosecute him.

Bolton's situation shares characteristics to Trump's classified documents issues, noted Mr Lesko, who previously held a top national security role at the Justice Department.

Strict procedures regulate the management of classified documents. To win a conviction, the government must demonstrate that Bolton knew the information he was sending was restricted, and he had to intentionally transfer it to someone without authorization to obtain it.

"Due to the classified character of the material at issue in this matter, we lack a great deal of particulars about the reasons the government contends things like the diary entries and the additional information he shared by electronic message, and the reason there were restricted," said Mr Jaffer.

A More Traditional Legal Action

The process by which the Justice Department initiated this case will be closely examined, after Trump openly expressed his desire to see his critics prosecuted and several of those charges materialized.

But Mr Lesko indicated in Bolton's situation, prosecutors seem to have adhered to protocol.

"The Bolton case and eventually the charge appeared to have followed the regular procedure including the regulations and standards within the DOJ," he said.

In contrast to Comey's short, two-page indictment, Bolton's was a increasingly "conventional" filing that "clearly outlines the details involving the circumstances and situation here," Mr Lesko said.

"It appears fairly consistent with a long line of cases... where government officials mishandled and shared classified material."