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

"We can't delay further, it's damaging our reputation and credibility," the leader wrote recently in a Truth Social post.

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

Each have subsequently been indicted, in cases that numerous experts have said seem to be politically motivated and difficult to succeed in court.

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

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

This Specifics of the Legal Situation

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

Specialists contend that while there may be political motivations to target Bolton, the procedures used to secure an charge and the evidence gathered against him suggest a possibly stronger case than the DOJ brought against James.

"These actions that's being alleged is simultaneously more serious and seems to have occurred over a considerable period of time," said Carissa Byrne Hessick, a academic at the University of North Carolina School of Law.

During his time as Trump's national security adviser, and after his 2019 White House exit, prosecutors alleged that Bolton put the country at danger by improperly keeping and transmitting classified information to family members using unprotected methods, including AOL. Some of the documents were marked top secret.

The charge states that at a certain time a hacker accessed to Bolton's account where files were stored and sent an apparent threat to cause "the largest scandal since Hillary [Clinton]'s emails were leaked".

Bolton pleaded not guilty during a hearing on Friday to 18 separate counts of improperly handling sensitive materials.

Political Motivation or a Strong Legal Argument?

The schedule of his charge - coming on the heels of charges against James - has revived concerns about political pressure on the justice system.

Trump previously implied Bolton belonged in prison, and called him a "disreputable person". Bolton, for his part, authored a book about his time in the Trump administration that was sharply negative of the leader.

"There's no question that the timing of this indictment, when paired with additional cases, has prompted doubts about the strength of these charges, and why these charges are being filed now," stated Jamil Jaffer, founder and executive director of the National Security Institute.

Nevertheless, he added, "should the Justice Department is capable to prove the allegations alleged and show the information is correctly designated, his conduct may certainly have broken the law".

Prosecuting such a high-ranking figure for mishandling sensitive materials is "rare" but not unprecedented, said Carrie Cordero, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security.

"Cases that involve sensitive materials pose challenges to prosecute, but they may and are brought against both junior and high-level personnel, from occasionally," she said.

Parallels to Investigations into Trump and President

Trump similarly encountered allegations of improperly storing sensitive materials at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida and hindering their recovery, but that case was ultimately dismissed by a court official and voided by his return as leader.

A independent investigator also found that former President Joe Biden wrongfully maintained sensitive materials from his time as vice president, but failed to criminally charge him.

Bolton's situation bears similarities to Trump's sensitive materials matters, said Mr Lesko, who also held a top security position at the DOJ.

Strict procedures govern the management of sensitive materials. To win a conviction, the government must demonstrate that Bolton was aware the information he was transmitting was classified, and he had to intentionally transfer it to someone without authorization to receive it.

"Due to the classified character of the material at issue in this matter, we lack a great deal of details about why the government contends elements like the personal notes and the additional material he communicated by electronic message, and the reason there were classified," explained Mr Jaffer.

A More Conventional Prosecution

The procedure by which the Justice Department brought this legal action will be closely examined, following Trump publicly posted his desire to see his political opponents charged and several of those indictments materialized.

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

"The Bolton case and eventually the indictment appeared to have observed the regular procedure including the rules and standards within the Department of Justice," he said.

In contrast to Comey's brief, two-page indictment, Bolton's was a increasingly "conventional" document that "explicitly sets forth the particulars involving the circumstances and circumstances in this instance," Mr Lesko commented.

"It appears fairly aligned with a long line of cases... where government officials improperly handled and transmitted classified material."