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Former President Donald Trump has repeatedly 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 can't delay any longer, it's killing our reputation and credibility," the president stated recently in a Truth Social post.

"I was impeached me, and charged me (5 times!)" he declared, referencing the four criminal cases he faced after departing the White House in 2021 and James's civil case.

Each have subsequently been indicted, in cases that many specialists have said seem to be politically motivated and challenging to win in legal proceedings.

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

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

This Specifics of Bolton's Legal Situation

Bolton has been criminally indicted on federal charges related to the supposed mishandling of sensitive materials. Since leaving the White House in 2019, he has become a outspoken Trump critic, even to describe him "stunningly uninformed" and unsuitable for office in his memoir.

Experts contend that while there may be political reasons to target Bolton, the procedures used to obtain an indictment and the evidence compiled against him suggest a possibly more substantial legal argument than the Justice Department brought against Comey.

"This misconduct that's being claimed is simultaneously more serious and appears to have taken place over a significant period of time," commented Carissa Byrne Hessick, a academic at the University of North Carolina School of Law.

During his tenure as Trump's national security adviser, and following his 2019 White House departure, authorities claimed that Bolton put the country at danger by improperly keeping and sending classified information to family members using insecure means, including AOL. Some of the documents were labeled highly classified.

The indictment alleges that at a certain time a unauthorized user gained access to Bolton's system where documents were kept and transmitted an apparent warning to cause "the largest scandal since Hillary [Clinton]'s emails were leaked".

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

Political Motivation or a Substantial Legal Argument?

The schedule of his indictment - arriving on the tails of allegations against James - has renewed questions about external influence on the legal system.

Trump once implied Bolton belonged in prison, and called him a "sleazebag". Bolton, for his part, wrote a publication about his experience in the Trump government that was sharply negative of the president.

"Undoubtedly that the schedule of this charge, when combined with others, has prompted doubts about the strength of these allegations, and the reason these counts are being brought at this time," stated Jamil Jaffer, creator and director of the National Security Institute.

However, he added, "if the DOJ is capable to prove the allegations alleged and show the information is correctly designated, his behavior may certainly have violated the statute".

Charging such a senior figure for mishandling sensitive materials is "uncommon" but not without precedent, noted Carrie Cordero, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security.

"Situations that concern classified information present challenges to try, but they may and are brought against equally junior and senior personnel, from time to time," she said.

Similarities to Investigations into Former President and President

Trump likewise encountered allegations of wrongfully keeping sensitive materials at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida and obstructing their recovery, but that case was ultimately dismissed by a court official and negated by his re-election as president.

A special counsel additionally determined that ex-President Joe Biden improperly stored sensitive materials from his time as second-in-command, but did not prosecute him.

Bolton's situation shares characteristics to Biden's classified documents matters, said Mr Lesko, who previously held a senior national security position at the Justice Department.

Strict procedures regulate the management of classified documents. To secure a conviction, the prosecution must prove that Bolton knew the information he was sending was restricted, and he had to intentionally transmit it to someone without authorization to obtain it.

"Because of the sensitive character of the information at issue in this matter, we don't have a great deal of details about why the prosecution believes things like the personal notes and the other material he communicated by electronic message, and the reason there were classified," explained Mr Jaffer.

A Increasingly Traditional Legal Action

The procedure by which the Justice Department initiated this case will be closely examined, following Trump openly expressed his desire to see his critics charged and some of those indictments materialized.

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

"This Bolton case and ultimately the charge appeared to have followed the regular process including the rules and norms within the DOJ," he said.

Unlike Comey's brief, concise indictment, Bolton's was a more "conventional" document that "explicitly outlines the details concerning the circumstances and circumstances in this instance," Mr Lesko commented.

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