It doesn't strike me as so odd, and your framing of the situations doesn't strike me as particularly conducive to honest discussion.
The people who "choose to cut security funding" (I'm assuming you mean congress?) acted within the bounds of the law and within their power as elected officials. They broke no laws and your disagreement with the results does not make them criminals.
I don't know if these researchers broke the law. All that's happening now is they are being investigated. If they did break the law, then it seems to me perfectly logical that they would be in "far greater legal trouble" than someone who didn't.
TL;DR it's not odd that someone who broke the law is in more legal trouble than someone who didn't
The people who "choose to cut security funding" (I'm assuming you mean congress?) acted within the bounds of the law and within their power as elected officials. They broke no laws and your disagreement with the results does not make them criminals.
I don't know if these researchers broke the law. All that's happening now is they are being investigated. If they did break the law, then it seems to me perfectly logical that they would be in "far greater legal trouble" than someone who didn't.
TL;DR it's not odd that someone who broke the law is in more legal trouble than someone who didn't