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Former President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed his wish to see critics investigated, applying pressure on the Justice Department to charge ex FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

"We can't delay any longer, it's damaging our reputation and credibility," the president stated recently in a Truth Social message.

"I was impeached me, and charged me (5 times!)" he declared, mentioning the four criminal cases he faced after departing the White House in 2021 and James's civil case.

Both have since been indicted, in cases that numerous experts have said seem to be politically motivated and challenging to succeed in legal proceedings.

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

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

This Specifics of Bolton's Legal Situation

Bolton has been criminally indicted on federal charges pertaining to the supposed mishandling of sensitive materials. After leaving the White House in 2019, he has become a outspoken Trump critic, going so far as to call him "remarkably ignorant" and unfit for office in his memoir.

Specialists contend that while there may be political reasons to go after Bolton, the methods used to secure an indictment and the evidence compiled against him suggest a possibly more substantial case than the Justice Department brought against James.

"These actions 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.

Throughout his time as Trump's national security adviser, and after his 2019 White House departure, prosecutors claimed that Bolton placed the nation at risk by improperly keeping and sending classified information to relatives using unprotected methods, including AOL. Several of the documents were labeled highly classified.

The charge states that at one point a hacker gained access to Bolton's system where documents were kept and sent an apparent warning to cause "the biggest scandal since Hillary [Clinton]'s emails were released".

Bolton pleaded not guilty during a court appearance on Friday to 18 separate counts of mishandling sensitive materials.

Political Motivation or a Substantial Legal Argument?

The timing of his indictment - coming on the tails of charges against James - has renewed questions about political pressure on the legal system.

Trump once implied Bolton should be in prison, and described him a "disreputable person". Bolton, for his role, authored a book about his time in the Trump government that was sharply negative of the president.

"Undoubtedly that the schedule of this indictment, when paired with additional cases, has prompted doubts about the strength of these allegations, and the reason these counts are being filed at this time," stated Jamil Jaffer, creator and director of the National Security Institute.

However, he added, "if the DOJ is capable to prove the allegations alleged and show the material is correctly designated, his conduct may certainly have violated the statute".

Prosecuting such a high-ranking official for mishandling sensitive materials is "uncommon" but not without precedent, noted Carrie Cordero, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security.

"Situations that involve classified information present difficulties to prosecute, but they can and are brought against both low-level and high-level officials, from occasionally," she said.

Parallels to Investigations into Trump and Biden

Trump likewise faced allegations of wrongfully storing classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida and hindering their return, but that case was ultimately dismissed by a federal judge and voided by his return as leader.

A special counsel also found that ex-President Joe Biden wrongfully maintained classified documents from his period as vice president, but did not prosecute him.

Bolton's case shares characteristics to Biden's sensitive materials matters, noted Mr Lesko, who previously held a senior national security position at the DOJ.

Rigorous procedures govern the management of classified documents. To secure a conviction, the prosecution must prove that Bolton was aware the information he was sending was restricted, and he had to intentionally transfer it to someone without authorization to receive it.

"Because of the classified nature of the material at question in this matter, we lack a lot of details about the reasons the prosecution contends elements like the personal notes and the additional information he communicated by electronic message, and the reason there were classified," said Mr Jaffer.

A More Traditional Prosecution

The procedure by which the DOJ initiated this legal action will be closely examined, following Trump openly expressed his wish to see his political opponents charged and some of those charges materialized.

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

"The Bolton case and ultimately the charge appeared to have followed the regular process including the regulations and norms within the Department of Justice," he said.

In contrast to Comey's short, concise charge, Bolton's was a more "traditional" document that "clearly sets forth the particulars involving the facts and circumstances here," Mr Lesko said.

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