October 10, 2008 10:48AM # More Eavesdropping By [Tim Lynch](https://www.cato.org/people/tim-lynch) --- SHARE Brian Ross of ABC News is reporting allegations from two whistleblowers who say the federal government eavesdropped on [hundreds of international phone calls between Americans](http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Story?id=5987804&page=4). The surveillance continued even when there was no indication of espionage or terrorism. Question for the White House: Is this another [disgraceful news report?](http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/media/jan-june06/leak_06-26.html) After all, it reminds the terrorists that the NSA listens in on calls. Questions for CIA director Michael Hayden and NSA director Lt. General Keith Alexander: When you say the ‘law’ is always followed, would you remind us as to what, exactly, constitutes *illegal* eavesdropping? And how many government officials and employees have been disciplined, discharged, or prosecuted for illegal surveillance over the past 10 years? Question for Congress: What does Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D‑WV) mean when he says an oversight hearing *may* be necessary? How many whistleblowers have to come forward to warrant a hearing? For more, read [Glenn Greenwald](http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/10/09/eavesdropping/index.html). For related Cato scholarship, go [here](https://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=9227). ##### Related Tags [Defense and Foreign Policy](https://www.cato.org/defense-foreign-policy), [Constitutional Law](https://www.cato.org/constitutional-law), [Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies](https://www.cato.org/robert-levy-center-constitutional-studies) [![Creative Commons License](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).