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Former President Donald Trump has consistently expressed his wish to see critics probed, exerting influence on the Justice Department to prosecute former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

"We cannot postpone any longer, it's killing our standing and credibility," the leader wrote recently in a social media post.

"I was impeached twice, and charged me (5 times!)" he said, referencing the four criminal cases he faced 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 legal proceedings.

But the most recent charges against a Trump critic, ex security advisor John Bolton, stand apart, legal experts and ex-prosecutors assert.

"In my opinion, contrasting Bolton's case to Comey's is like comparing two different things," stated Mark Lesko, a ex acting US attorney for the Eastern District of New York.

The Specifics of the Case

Bolton has been criminally indicted on federal charges related to the alleged improper handling of classified information. Since departing the White House in 2019, he has become a vocal presidential opponent, going so far as to call him "remarkably ignorant" and unfit for office in his memoir.

Specialists contend that while there may be political reasons to go after Bolton, the methods used to obtain an indictment and the proof gathered against him suggest a possibly more substantial legal argument than the DOJ brought against James.

"This misconduct that's being alleged is both more serious and seems to have occurred over a significant duration," commented Carissa Byrne Hessick, a professor at the University of North Carolina School of Law.

Throughout his tenure as Trump's security advisor, and after his 2019 White House exit, authorities alleged that Bolton placed the nation at danger by improperly keeping and transmitting classified information to relatives using unprotected methods, including AOL. Several of the documents were marked highly classified.

The charge alleges that at a certain time a hacker gained access to Bolton's system where documents were stored and transmitted an seeming warning to cause "the biggest scandal since Hillary [Clinton]'s emails were released".

Bolton entered a not guilty plea during a court appearance on recently to 18 distinct charges of improperly handling classified information.

Political Motivation or a Strong Case?

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

Trump previously suggested Bolton belonged in jail, and called him a "sleazebag". Bolton, for his role, wrote a book about his experience in the Trump government 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 why these counts are being brought now," said Jamil Jaffer, creator and executive director of the National Security Institute.

However, he continued, "if the DOJ is able to prove the allegations alleged and demonstrate the material is properly classified, his conduct may certainly have broken the statute".

Prosecuting such a high-ranking 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 involve classified information pose difficulties to try, but they can and are brought against both junior and high-level officials, from occasionally," she said.

Similarities to Examinations into Trump and President

Trump similarly faced allegations of wrongfully storing sensitive materials at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida and hindering their recovery, but that case was ultimately dismissed by a federal judge and voided by his return as president.

A special counsel also found that ex-President Joe Biden improperly maintained classified documents from his period as second-in-command, but failed to criminally charge him.

Bolton's situation shares characteristics to Trump's classified documents matters, noted Mr Lesko, who also held a top national security position at the DOJ.

Strict protocols govern the management of classified documents. To win a conviction, the government must demonstrate that Bolton knew the material he was transmitting was classified, and he had to knowingly transfer it to someone without authorization to obtain it.

"Due to the sensitive nature of the material at question in this case, we don't have a great deal of details about why the government believes things like the diary entries and the other material he shared by email, and the reason there were restricted," said Mr Jaffer.

A More Traditional Legal Action

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

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

"This Bolton prosecution and eventually the indictment appeared to have followed the regular process including the regulations and norms within the DOJ," he stated.

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

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