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Former President Donald Trump has consistently shown his desire to see opponents investigated, applying influence 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 leader stated recently in a social media post.

"They impeached twice, and charged me (five times!)" he declared, mentioning the multiple legal proceedings he faced after departing the White House in 2021 and James's lawsuit.

Both have since been charged, in situations that many experts have stated seem to be politically motivated and challenging to win in court.

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

"I would say, comparing Bolton's charges to Comey's is like comparing two different things," stated Mark Lesko, a ex federal prosecutor for the Eastern District of New York.

The Specifics of Bolton's Case

Bolton has been criminally indicted on federal charges pertaining to the alleged mishandling of sensitive materials. Since leaving the White House in 2019, he has become a outspoken presidential opponent, going so far as to describe him "remarkably ignorant" and unfit for office in his book.

Specialists contend that while there may be political motivations to target Bolton, the methods used to secure an indictment and the proof gathered against him suggest a possibly stronger legal argument than the Justice Department brought against Comey.

"These actions that's being claimed is simultaneously more severe and appears to have taken place over a significant 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 following his 2019 White House exit, authorities alleged that Bolton put the nation at risk by improperly keeping and sending classified information to relatives using unprotected methods, including AOL. Several of the documents were labeled top secret.

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

Bolton pleaded not guilty during a court appearance on Friday to 18 separate counts of improperly handling classified information.

Political Motivation or a Strong Case?

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

Trump once implied Bolton should be in prison, and called him a "disreputable person". Bolton, for his part, wrote a book about his time in the Trump government that was sharply negative of the leader.

"There's no question that the timing of this indictment, when paired with others, has raised doubts about the validity of these charges, and the reason these charges are being filed at this time," stated Jamil Jaffer, founder and director of the National Security Institute.

However, he added, "should the Justice Department is capable to prove the allegations alleged and demonstrate the information is correctly classified, his conduct may very well have broken the statute".

Prosecuting such a senior official for improperly handling sensitive materials is "rare" but not without precedent, said Carrie Cordero, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security.

"Cases that involve classified information present challenges to prosecute, but they can and are filed against equally junior and high-level officials, from time to time," she explained.

Similarities to Investigations into Former President and President

Trump similarly encountered charges of improperly storing sensitive materials at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and hindering their recovery, but that matter was eventually thrown out by a court official and negated by his re-election as president.

A special counsel additionally determined that ex-President Joe Biden wrongfully maintained sensitive materials from his time as second-in-command, but failed to prosecute him.

Bolton's case bears similarities to Trump's classified documents matters, noted Mr Lesko, who also held a senior security role at the Justice Department.

Rigorous protocols govern the handling of sensitive materials. To win a conviction, the prosecution must demonstrate that Bolton was aware the information he was transmitting was classified, and he had to knowingly transfer it to someone without authorization to obtain it.

"Due to the classified character of the information at question in this case, we don't have a lot of particulars about the reasons the government believes things like the personal notes and the other material he shared by email, and the reason there were restricted," said Mr Jaffer.

A More Conventional Prosecution

The process by which the DOJ brought this case will be under scrutiny, following Trump openly posted his desire to see his political opponents prosecuted and several of those indictments came to fruition.

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

"This Bolton prosecution and eventually the charge seemed to have followed the regular procedure including the rules and standards within the Department of Justice," he said.

In contrast to Comey's short, concise charge, Bolton's was a increasingly "conventional" filing that "clearly sets forth the particulars concerning the facts and situation here," Mr Lesko said.

"It appears reasonably aligned with a series of cases... where public servants mishandled and transmitted sensitive information."