Former President Donald Trump has consistently shown his wish to see opponents investigated, applying pressure on the Justice Department to prosecute ex 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 wrote last month in a social media post.
"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 lawsuit.
Both have since been charged, in cases that many specialists have stated seem to be politically motivated and difficult to win in legal proceedings.
But the latest charges against a presidential opponent, former national security adviser John Bolton, differ significantly, legal experts and ex-prosecutors say.
"In my opinion, contrasting Bolton's charges to James' is like comparing apples to oranges," stated Mark Lesko, a former acting US attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
This Specifics of Bolton's Legal Situation
Bolton has been formally charged on national allegations related to the supposed mishandling of sensitive materials. Since leaving the White House in 2019, he has emerged as a vocal 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 indicate a possibly stronger legal argument than the DOJ brought against Comey.
"These actions that's being claimed is both more severe and appears to have taken place over a considerable period of time," commented Carissa Byrne Hessick, a professor at the University of North Carolina School of Law.
During his time as Trump's national security adviser, and after his 2019 White House exit, authorities claimed that Bolton placed the nation at risk by wrongfully keeping and sending sensitive documents to relatives using unprotected methods, including AOL. Some of the documents were marked top secret.
The charge states that at one point a unauthorized user accessed to Bolton's system where files were kept and transmitted an seeming warning to cause "the largest scandal since Hillary [Clinton]'s emails were leaked".
Bolton pleaded not guilty during a hearing on recently to 18 distinct charges of mishandling sensitive materials.
Political Motivation or a Substantial Legal Argument?
The timing of his charge - arriving on the tails of charges against Comey - has renewed questions about political pressure on the justice system.
Trump once implied Bolton should be in prison, and described him a "sleazebag". Bolton, for his role, wrote a publication about his experience in the Trump administration that was highly critical of the president.
"There's no question that the timing of this indictment, when combined with others, has prompted questions about the validity of these charges, and why these charges are being filed now," stated Jamil Jaffer, founder and director of the National Security Institute.
Nevertheless, he continued, "if the Justice Department is capable to prove the facts alleged and show the information is correctly designated, his conduct may certainly have broken the law".
Charging such a high-ranking figure for mishandling classified documents is "uncommon" but not unprecedented, noted Carrie Cordero, a expert at the Center for a New American Security.
"Situations that concern classified information present challenges to prosecute, but they may and are brought against equally low-level and senior officials, from time to time," she explained.
Similarities to Investigations into Former President and President
Trump similarly encountered charges of wrongfully storing classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida and hindering their return, but that matter was ultimately thrown out by a federal judge and negated by his return as president.
A independent investigator additionally found that former President Joe Biden wrongfully maintained classified documents from his time as vice president, but did not criminally charge him.
Bolton's situation bears similarities to Trump's classified documents matters, noted Mr Lesko, who previously held a top national security role at the DOJ.
Strict protocols regulate the management of sensitive materials. To win a guilty verdict, 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 receive it.
"Due to the classified nature of the material at question in this case, we don't have a great deal of particulars about why the prosecution contends things like the diary entries and the additional material he communicated by electronic message, and why there were classified," explained Mr Jaffer.
A More Conventional Legal Action
The process by which the Justice Department brought this case will be closely examined, after Trump openly posted his wish to see his political opponents prosecuted and several of those indictments materialized.
But Mr Lesko indicated in Bolton's situation, prosecutors appear to have adhered to standard procedure.
"The Bolton case and eventually the charge appeared to have observed the regular procedure including the regulations and norms within the DOJ," he stated.
In contrast to Comey's brief, concise charge, Bolton's was a increasingly "traditional" document that "explicitly sets forth the particulars involving the facts and situation in this instance," Mr Lesko said.
"It appears fairly aligned with a long line of cases... where public servants mishandled and shared sensitive information."
