My bet is it was likely thousands, and the surveillance started long before, maybe even before Barry....
That is my bet. If they were this bold they have surely gotten away with much more..
Me thinks you are correct. I would venture that political spying for nefarious purposes has a time honored role in any government. What we are witnessing is the perfect combination of technology, the Patriot Act, and zealots aligning against Trump and traditional America. Public hangings of the conspirators might discourage future bad behavior, but we have to remember that power corrupts. How does one put the genie back in the bottle forever?