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Former President Donald Trump has repeatedly shown his wish to see opponents probed, exerting pressure on the DOJ to prosecute ex FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

"We cannot postpone further, it's killing our standing and credibility," the president wrote recently in a social media message.

"They impeached twice, and charged me (5 times!)" he said, referencing the multiple legal proceedings he faced after departing the White House in 2021 and James's civil case.

Each have subsequently been charged, in cases that many experts have stated appear to be politically motivated and challenging to win in court.

But the latest charges against a presidential opponent, ex national security adviser John Bolton, stand apart, legal experts and former prosecutors assert.

"I would say, comparing Bolton's charges to James' is like equating apples to oranges," stated Mark Lesko, a ex 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 alleged improper handling of sensitive materials. Since leaving the White House in 2019, he has emerged as a vocal Trump critic, going so far as to call him "stunningly uninformed" and unfit for the presidency in his memoir.

Experts contend that while there may be political reasons to go after Bolton, the methods used to obtain an indictment and the proof compiled against him suggest a potentially more substantial legal argument than the Justice Department brought against Comey.

"These actions that's being alleged is simultaneously more serious and appears to have occurred over a significant duration," commented Carissa Byrne Hessick, a academic at the University of North Carolina School of Law.

During his tenure as Trump's security advisor, and following his 2019 White House departure, authorities alleged that Bolton put the nation at danger by wrongfully keeping and sending sensitive documents to relatives using unprotected methods, including AOL. Some of the materials were labeled highly classified.

The indictment alleges that at a certain time a unauthorized user gained access to Bolton's system where documents were stored and sent an seeming threat to cause "the largest scandal since Hillary [Clinton]'s emails were leaked".

Bolton entered a not guilty plea during a court appearance on Friday to eighteen separate counts of mishandling sensitive materials.

Retribution or a Substantial Legal Argument?

The schedule of his indictment - coming on the heels of allegations against Comey - has renewed questions about external influence on the justice system.

Trump once implied Bolton should be in prison, and described him a "sleazebag". Bolton, for his part, wrote a publication about his experience in the Trump government that was sharply negative of the president.

"There's no question that the schedule of this charge, when paired with others, has prompted questions about the strength of these charges, and why these charges are being filed now," said Jamil Jaffer, creator and executive director of the National Security Institute.

Nevertheless, he continued, "if the DOJ is capable to demonstrate the facts alleged and demonstrate the information is correctly designated, his conduct may very well have broken the law".

Prosecuting such a high-ranking figure for mishandling sensitive materials is "rare" but not without precedent, noted Carrie Cordero, a expert at the Center for a New American Security.

"Cases that involve classified information pose difficulties to try, but they may and are filed against equally low-level and high-level officials, from occasionally," she explained.

Parallels to Examinations into Trump and Biden

Trump likewise encountered allegations of wrongfully storing sensitive materials at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and obstructing their return, but that case was ultimately thrown out by a federal judge and negated by his return as leader.

A special counsel additionally determined that former President Joe Biden wrongfully maintained classified documents from his time as vice president, but failed to prosecute him.

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

Rigorous procedures govern the management of sensitive materials. To secure a conviction, the government must demonstrate that Bolton knew the information he was transmitting was classified, and he had to intentionally transfer it to someone without authorization to obtain it.

"Due to the sensitive character of the information at question in this case, we lack a lot of particulars about why the government believes things like the personal notes and the other information he shared by electronic message, and the reason there were classified," said Mr Jaffer.

A Increasingly Conventional Legal Action

The process by which the DOJ brought this legal action will be closely examined, after Trump publicly expressed his wish to see his critics charged and several of those indictments came to fruition.

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

"This Bolton prosecution and ultimately the charge appeared to have followed the regular procedure including the rules and norms within the Department of Justice," he stated.

Unlike Comey's short, two-page charge, Bolton's was a increasingly "traditional" filing that "clearly sets forth the details involving the circumstances and situation in this instance," Mr Lesko said.

"It seems reasonably aligned with a long line of cases... where public servants mishandled and transmitted sensitive information."