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Former President Donald Trump has repeatedly shown his desire to see opponents probed, exerting pressure 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 damaging our reputation and credibility," the president wrote last month in a Truth Social post.

"They impeached me, and indicted me (five times!)" he said, mentioning the multiple legal proceedings he faced after departing the White House in 2021 and James's lawsuit.

Both have subsequently been charged, in situations that numerous specialists have said appear to be politically motivated and challenging to succeed in court.

But the most recent charges against a Trump critic, former national security adviser John Bolton, differ significantly, legal experts and ex-prosecutors say.

"In my opinion, comparing Bolton's case to James' is like comparing two different things," said Mark Lesko, a former federal prosecutor for the Eastern District of New York.

This Details of the Legal Situation

Bolton has been formally charged on federal charges related to the alleged improper handling of sensitive materials. Since leaving the White House in 2019, he has emerged as a outspoken Trump critic, even to describe him "remarkably ignorant" and unfit for the presidency in his book.

Specialists contend that while there may be political motivations to target Bolton, the procedures used to obtain an charge and the proof gathered against him indicate a possibly stronger case than the DOJ brought against Comey.

"This misconduct that's being claimed is both more severe and appears to have taken place over a significant duration," commented Carissa Byrne Hessick, a professor at the University of North Carolina School of Law.

During his tenure as Trump's security advisor, and after his 2019 White House departure, authorities alleged that Bolton put the nation at risk by improperly retaining and transmitting classified information to relatives using insecure means, including AOL. Several of the documents were labeled highly classified.

The indictment alleges that at a certain time a unauthorized user accessed to Bolton's system where files were kept and sent an seeming warning to cause "the largest scandal since Hillary [Clinton]'s emails were released".

Bolton entered a not guilty plea during a hearing on recently to eighteen distinct charges of improperly handling sensitive materials.

Retribution or a Strong Case?

The timing of his charge - coming on the tails of allegations against Comey - has renewed questions about external influence on the justice system.

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

"Undoubtedly that the schedule of this charge, when combined with additional cases, has prompted questions about the validity of these allegations, and why these charges are being filed at this time," said Jamil Jaffer, creator and executive director of the National Security Institute.

However, he added, "if the DOJ is able to prove the allegations stated and show the information is properly classified, his conduct may certainly have violated the law".

Prosecuting such a high-ranking figure for improperly handling classified documents is "uncommon" but not unprecedented, noted Carrie Cordero, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security.

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

Similarities to Investigations into Former President and President

Trump similarly encountered allegations of improperly storing classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida and obstructing their recovery, but that matter was ultimately thrown out by a federal judge and voided by his re-election as leader.

A independent investigator additionally found that ex-President Joe Biden improperly maintained classified documents from his period as vice president, but did not prosecute him.

Bolton's situation shares characteristics to Trump's sensitive materials issues, said Mr Lesko, who previously held a senior security role at the DOJ.

Strict procedures regulate the handling of sensitive materials. To secure a guilty verdict, the prosecution must demonstrate that Bolton knew the material he was transmitting was restricted, 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 matter, we lack a great deal of details about why the prosecution contends elements like the diary entries and the other information he shared by electronic message, and why there were restricted," said Mr Jaffer.

A Increasingly Conventional Legal Action

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

But Mr Lesko said in Bolton's situation, prosecutors appear to have adhered to standard procedure.

"This Bolton prosecution and ultimately the charge appeared to have followed the standard process including the regulations and standards within the Department of Justice," he said.

In contrast to Comey's short, two-page indictment, Bolton's was a more "conventional" document that "clearly outlines the details involving the circumstances and situation in this instance," Mr Lesko commented.

"It appears fairly aligned with a series of cases... where government officials improperly handled and shared sensitive information."