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Ex-President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire to see critics 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 last month in a social media post.

"They impeached twice, and charged me (five times!)" he declared, referencing the four criminal cases he encountered after leaving the White House in 2021 and James's civil case.

Both have subsequently been charged, in situations that many specialists have stated seem to be politically motivated and difficult to succeed in court.

But the latest charges against a Trump critic, former national security adviser John Bolton, differ significantly, legal specialists and ex-prosecutors say.

"I would say, contrasting Bolton's charges to Comey's is like comparing apples to oranges," stated 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 mishandling of classified information. After leaving the White House in 2019, he has become a outspoken Trump critic, even to describe him "remarkably ignorant" and unfit for the presidency in his book.

Experts say that while there may be political reasons to go after Bolton, the methods used to secure an charge and the proof compiled against him suggest a potentially more substantial case than the Justice Department presented against James.

"These actions that's being alleged is simultaneously more severe and seems to have taken place over a significant duration," commented Carissa Byrne Hessick, a professor at the University of North Carolina School of Law.

Throughout his time as Trump's security advisor, and following his 2019 White House departure, prosecutors claimed that Bolton put the country at risk by improperly retaining and sending classified information to family members using unprotected methods, including AOL. Several of the materials were labeled highly classified.

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

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

Retribution or a Substantial Case?

The schedule of his indictment - coming on the tails of charges against Comey - has revived concerns about political pressure on the legal system.

Trump once suggested Bolton should be in prison, and described him a "disreputable person". Bolton, for his part, wrote a book about his time in the Trump administration that was highly critical 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 allegations, and why these counts are being filed now," said Jamil Jaffer, creator and executive director of the National Security Institute.

Nevertheless, he continued, "if the Justice Department is able to demonstrate the allegations alleged and show the information is properly designated, his conduct may very well have violated the statute".

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

"Cases that involve classified information pose challenges to try, but they can and are filed against equally low-level and senior officials, from time to time," she explained.

Similarities to Examinations into Trump and President

Trump likewise faced allegations of improperly storing classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and obstructing their recovery, but that matter was eventually thrown out by a court official and voided by his re-election as leader.

A special counsel additionally found that former President Joe Biden wrongfully stored sensitive materials from his time as second-in-command, but failed to criminally charge him.

Bolton's situation bears similarities to Trump's classified documents issues, said Mr Lesko, who also held a top security role at the Justice Department.

Strict protocols regulate 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 receive it.

"Because of the sensitive character of the material at issue in this matter, we lack a lot of particulars about the reasons the government believes elements like the personal notes and the other information he communicated by email, and the reason there were restricted," explained Mr Jaffer.

A More Conventional Prosecution

The procedure by which the Justice Department initiated this case will be under scrutiny, after Trump publicly posted his wish to see his political opponents prosecuted and several of those charges came to fruition.

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

"This Bolton prosecution and ultimately the indictment seemed to have observed the standard procedure including the regulations and standards within the Department of Justice," he stated.

In contrast to Comey's brief, concise indictment, Bolton's was a increasingly "conventional" document that "explicitly sets forth the particulars concerning the circumstances and situation here," Mr Lesko commented.

"It appears fairly consistent with a series of precedents... where government officials improperly handled and shared classified material."