Former President Donald Trump has consistently shown his desire to see critics investigated, exerting pressure on the Justice Department to charge former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
"We can't delay any longer, it's damaging our standing and credibility," the president stated recently in a social media message.
"They impeached me, and charged me (five times!)" he declared, mentioning the four criminal cases he encountered after departing the White House in 2021 and James's lawsuit.
Each have subsequently been charged, in situations that numerous experts have stated appear to be politically motivated and challenging to win in court.
But the most recent allegations against a presidential opponent, former national security adviser John Bolton, stand apart, legal experts and former prosecutors assert.
"In my opinion, comparing Bolton's case 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 Bolton's Case
Bolton has been criminally indicted on national allegations related to the alleged mishandling of classified information. After leaving the White House in 2019, he has emerged as a outspoken Trump critic, even to call him "stunningly uninformed" 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 indictment and the evidence gathered against him indicate a potentially more substantial case than the DOJ brought against James.
"These actions that's being alleged is both more severe and appears to have taken place over a considerable period of time," commented Carissa Byrne Hessick, a academic at the University of North Carolina School of Law.
During his time as Trump's security advisor, and following his 2019 White House exit, prosecutors alleged that Bolton placed the country at risk by wrongfully retaining and sending classified information to relatives using insecure means, including AOL. Several of the materials were marked highly classified.
The charge alleges that at one point a unauthorized user gained access to Bolton's system where files were stored and sent an apparent warning to cause "the biggest controversy since Hillary [Clinton]'s emails were leaked".
Bolton entered a not guilty plea during a court appearance on Friday to 18 separate charges of improperly handling classified information.
Retribution or a Substantial Case?
The timing of his charge - arriving on the heels of allegations against James - has revived questions about political pressure on the legal system.
Trump previously suggested Bolton belonged in jail, and called him a "sleazebag". Bolton, for his part, authored a book about his experience in the Trump administration that was sharply negative of the leader.
"There's no question that the timing of this indictment, when combined with others, has prompted doubts about the strength of these allegations, and the reason these charges are being filed at this time," said Jamil Jaffer, founder and executive director of the National Security Institute.
However, he added, "if the DOJ is capable to demonstrate the allegations stated and show the material is correctly designated, his conduct may certainly have violated the law".
Prosecuting such a senior figure for improperly handling classified documents is "rare" but not unprecedented, said Carrie Cordero, a expert at the Center for a New American Security.
"Cases that involve sensitive materials present difficulties to prosecute, but they may and are brought against equally low-level and high-level personnel, from time to time," she explained.
Similarities to Examinations into Trump and President
Trump likewise faced allegations of improperly keeping sensitive materials at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and obstructing their return, but that case was eventually dismissed by a federal judge and negated by his re-election as president.
A special counsel additionally found that former President Joe Biden wrongfully maintained sensitive materials from his time as vice president, but failed to prosecute him.
Bolton's situation bears similarities to Trump's sensitive materials matters, noted Mr Lesko, who also held a senior security role at the DOJ.
Strict procedures regulate the management of classified documents. To win a guilty verdict, the prosecution must prove that Bolton knew the material he was sending was classified, and he had to intentionally transfer it to someone not entitled to receive it.
"Due to the sensitive character of the information at question in this matter, we lack a great deal of details about the reasons the government believes elements like the personal notes and the other information he communicated by electronic message, and the reason there were classified," explained Mr Jaffer.
A Increasingly Conventional Prosecution
The procedure by which the Justice Department brought this legal action will be closely examined, following Trump openly posted his wish to see his political opponents charged and some of those charges materialized.
But Mr Lesko said in Bolton's situation, authorities appear to have adhered to protocol.
"This Bolton case and ultimately the indictment appeared to have observed the standard process including the rules and norms within the Department of Justice," he said.
Unlike Comey's short, two-page indictment, Bolton's was a increasingly "traditional" document that "explicitly outlines the particulars involving the facts and circumstances here," Mr Lesko commented.
"It seems reasonably consistent with a long line of cases... where government officials mishandled and shared sensitive information."
