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Ex-President Donald Trump has consistently expressed his wish to see opponents probed, applying pressure on the DOJ to charge former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

"We cannot postpone further, it's damaging our standing and credibility," the leader stated recently in a Truth Social message.

"They impeached me, and charged me (five times!)" he declared, referencing the multiple legal proceedings he faced after leaving the White House in 2021 and James's lawsuit.

Both have since been indicted, in cases that many specialists have stated appear to be politically motivated and challenging to succeed in legal proceedings.

But the most recent allegations against a presidential opponent, ex national security adviser John Bolton, stand apart, legal experts and ex-prosecutors say.

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

The Specifics of the Legal Situation

Bolton has been formally charged on federal charges pertaining to the alleged improper handling of sensitive materials. Since departing the White House in 2019, he has emerged as a outspoken presidential opponent, going so far as to describe him "remarkably ignorant" and unsuitable for office in his book.

Experts say that while there may be political motivations to target Bolton, the methods used to obtain an indictment and the evidence gathered against him indicate a possibly more substantial legal argument than the DOJ brought against James.

"This misconduct that's being claimed is both more serious and seems to have taken place over a considerable duration," said Carissa Byrne Hessick, a academic at the University of North Carolina School of Law.

Throughout his time as Trump's national security adviser, and following his 2019 White House departure, prosecutors claimed that Bolton put the nation at risk by wrongfully retaining and sending sensitive documents to relatives using insecure means, including AOL. Some of the documents were marked top secret.

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

Bolton pleaded not guilty during a hearing on recently to 18 distinct counts of mishandling classified information.

Retribution or a Strong Legal Argument?

The timing of his charge - arriving on the tails of allegations against James - has revived concerns about political pressure on the legal system.

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

"There's no question that the schedule of this indictment, when combined with additional cases, has prompted questions about the validity of these allegations, and the reason these counts are being filed now," said Jamil Jaffer, creator and executive director of the National Security Institute.

However, he continued, "should the DOJ is able to prove the facts stated and demonstrate the material is correctly classified, his behavior may certainly have violated the law".

Charging such a senior official 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 concern classified information present challenges to prosecute, but they may and are filed against equally junior and senior officials, from time to time," she said.

Similarities to Investigations into Former President and Biden

Trump likewise encountered allegations of improperly storing sensitive materials at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida and obstructing their recovery, but that case was ultimately dismissed by a federal judge and voided by his re-election as president.

A special counsel additionally found that former President Joe Biden wrongfully maintained sensitive materials from his period as vice president, but did not criminally charge him.

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

Rigorous procedures regulate the management of sensitive materials. To win a guilty verdict, the prosecution must demonstrate that Bolton knew the information he was sending was classified, and he had to knowingly transmit it to someone not entitled to receive it.

"Due to the classified nature of the material at issue in this case, we don't have a great deal of details about the reasons the government contends elements like the diary entries and the other material he shared by email, and the reason there were restricted," explained Mr Jaffer.

A Increasingly Conventional Prosecution

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

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

"The Bolton prosecution and eventually the charge appeared to have observed the regular procedure including the rules and standards within the DOJ," he said.

In contrast to Comey's brief, concise charge, Bolton's was a increasingly "conventional" filing that "clearly sets forth the details involving the facts and circumstances here," Mr Lesko commented.

"It appears reasonably consistent with a long line of cases... where public servants improperly handled and shared sensitive information."