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Ex-President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed his wish to see critics investigated, applying influence 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 wrote recently in a Truth Social message.

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

Each have subsequently been indicted, in situations that numerous experts have said appear to be driven by politics and challenging to succeed in legal proceedings.

But the most recent allegations against a Trump critic, ex security advisor John Bolton, differ significantly, legal experts and ex-prosecutors assert.

"In my opinion, comparing Bolton's charges to Comey's is like comparing apples to oranges," stated Mark Lesko, a former acting US attorney for the Eastern District of New York.

The Specifics of the Case

Bolton has been formally charged on national allegations related to the alleged mishandling of classified information. After departing the White House in 2019, he has emerged as a vocal presidential opponent, even to call him "remarkably ignorant" and unsuitable for office in his book.

Specialists say that while there may be political motivations to target Bolton, the methods used to secure an charge and the proof compiled against him indicate a potentially stronger case than the Justice Department presented against Comey.

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

During his time as Trump's national security adviser, and following his 2019 White House departure, prosecutors claimed that Bolton placed the nation at risk by wrongfully retaining and transmitting classified information to relatives using unprotected methods, including AOL. Some of the documents were labeled top secret.

The indictment states that at one point a hacker gained access to Bolton's system where files were kept and sent an apparent warning to cause "the largest scandal since Hillary [Clinton]'s emails were leaked".

Bolton entered a not guilty plea during a hearing on recently to eighteen separate counts of mishandling sensitive materials.

Political Motivation or a Strong Legal Argument?

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

Trump previously suggested Bolton belonged in jail, and called him a "disreputable person". Bolton, for his part, authored a book about his time in the Trump administration that was highly critical of the president.

"There's no question that the schedule of this indictment, when combined with additional cases, has raised doubts about the validity of these charges, and the reason these charges are being brought at this time," stated Jamil Jaffer, creator and director of the National Security Institute.

Nevertheless, he continued, "if the Justice Department is able to prove the allegations alleged and demonstrate the information is properly classified, his behavior may very well have broken the law".

Prosecuting such a senior figure for mishandling classified documents is "rare" but not without precedent, said Carrie Cordero, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security.

"Situations that concern classified information pose challenges to try, but they can and are brought against equally junior and high-level personnel, from time to time," she said.

Parallels to Investigations into Trump and President

Trump similarly faced allegations of improperly storing sensitive materials at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and hindering their recovery, but that matter was ultimately thrown out by a federal judge and negated by his return as president.

A special counsel also determined that former President Joe Biden wrongfully maintained classified documents from his time as second-in-command, but failed to prosecute him.

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

Strict protocols govern the handling of classified documents. To secure a conviction, the prosecution must demonstrate that Bolton was aware the information he was sending was classified, and he had to intentionally transmit it to someone without authorization to obtain it.

"Due to the classified character of the information 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 why there were restricted," explained Mr Jaffer.

A More Traditional Prosecution

The process by which the Justice Department brought this legal action will be under scrutiny, following Trump openly posted his wish to see his critics charged and several of those charges materialized.

But Mr Lesko said in Bolton's situation, authorities appear to have adhered to protocol.

"The Bolton case and eventually the indictment seemed to have observed the standard process including the regulations and norms within the DOJ," he stated.

In contrast to Comey's short, two-page indictment, Bolton's was a more "traditional" filing that "clearly sets forth the particulars concerning the facts and situation here," Mr Lesko said.

"It seems reasonably consistent with a long line of cases... where public servants improperly handled and transmitted classified material."