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

"We can't delay any longer, it's killing our standing and credibility," the president wrote last month in a Truth Social post.

"I was impeached twice, and charged me (5 times!)" he said, mentioning the multiple legal proceedings he encountered after leaving the White House in 2021 and James's civil case.

Both have since been indicted, in situations that many specialists have stated seem to be driven by politics and challenging to win in legal proceedings.

But the most recent charges against a presidential opponent, former national security adviser John Bolton, differ significantly, legal specialists and ex-prosecutors assert.

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

The Specifics of Bolton's Legal Situation

Bolton has been formally charged on national allegations related to the alleged mishandling of sensitive materials. After departing the White House in 2019, he has become a vocal presidential opponent, going so far as to describe him "remarkably ignorant" and unsuitable for the presidency in his memoir.

Experts say that while there may be political reasons to go after Bolton, the procedures used to obtain an indictment and the evidence gathered against him suggest a possibly more substantial legal argument than the Justice Department presented against Comey.

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

During his time as Trump's security advisor, and after his 2019 White House exit, prosecutors claimed that Bolton put the nation at danger by improperly retaining and transmitting classified information to family members using unprotected methods, including AOL. Several of the materials were marked highly classified.

The indictment states that at a certain time a hacker gained access to Bolton's account where files were stored and transmitted an apparent threat to cause "the largest controversy since Hillary [Clinton]'s emails were leaked".

Bolton pleaded not guilty during a hearing on recently to eighteen distinct charges of mishandling sensitive materials.

Retribution or a Strong Case?

The schedule of his indictment - arriving on the tails of allegations against Comey - has revived concerns about external influence on the legal system.

Trump previously implied Bolton should be in prison, and called him a "sleazebag". Bolton, for his role, authored a publication about his experience in the Trump administration that was highly critical of the president.

"There's no question that the timing of this indictment, when paired with others, has raised questions about the strength of these allegations, and the reason these charges are being brought at this time," stated Jamil Jaffer, creator and executive director of the National Security Institute.

However, he added, "should the DOJ is capable to demonstrate the allegations alleged and demonstrate the information is correctly classified, his behavior may certainly have violated the law".

Prosecuting such a high-ranking official for mishandling classified documents is "uncommon" but not unprecedented, noted Carrie Cordero, a expert at the Center for a New American Security.

"Cases that concern sensitive materials present difficulties to prosecute, but they may and are brought against both low-level and high-level officials, from time to time," she explained.

Parallels to Examinations into Trump and Biden

Trump likewise encountered charges of improperly keeping classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and hindering their return, but that matter was ultimately thrown out by a court official and voided by his re-election as leader.

A special counsel additionally found that ex-President Joe Biden wrongfully maintained sensitive materials from his period as second-in-command, but did not prosecute him.

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

Rigorous protocols regulate the management of sensitive materials. To secure a guilty verdict, the government must prove that Bolton was aware the material he was sending was classified, and he had to knowingly transfer it to someone without authorization to obtain it.

"Due to the sensitive nature of the information at issue in this matter, we don't have a great deal of particulars about the reasons the prosecution believes things like the personal notes and the additional material he shared by email, and the reason there were restricted," said Mr Jaffer.

A More Conventional Legal Action

The procedure by which the Justice Department initiated this case will be under scrutiny, following Trump publicly posted his desire to see his political opponents prosecuted and some of those indictments came to fruition.

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

"This Bolton case and eventually the indictment seemed to have observed the regular procedure including the regulations and standards within the DOJ," he stated.

In contrast to Comey's brief, concise charge, Bolton's was a increasingly "traditional" document that "clearly sets forth the details concerning the facts and situation in this instance," Mr Lesko said.

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