Lies, damned Lies: Defamation of Character Grounds for Lawsuits?

Here are some definitions of defamation of character that I looked up online. It seems to me there are grounds for defamation lawsuits against tRump and his regime in the White House and Congress. 

Defamation is an act of communication that causes someone to be shamed, ridiculed, held in contempt, lowered in the estimation of the community, or to lose employment status or earnings or otherwise suffer a damaged reputation. Such defamation is couched in 'defamatory language'. Libel and slander are subcategories of defamation. Defamation is primarily covered under state law, but is subject to First Amendment guarantees of free speech. The scope of constitutional protection extends to statements of opinion on matters of public concern that do not contain or imply a provable factual assertion.


Slander is the oral communication of false statements that are harmful to a person's reputation and causes someone to be shamed, ridiculed, held in contempt, lowered in the estimation of the community, or to lose employment status or earnings or otherwise suffer a damaged reputation. Slander is a subcategory of defamation.

Libel is published material that is defamatory either on its face or indirectly;  the defamatory statement is about someone who is identifiable to one or more persons; the material is distributed to someone other than the offended party; i.e. published, as distinguished from slander. Publication may consist of a writing, printing, picture, effigy, or other fixed representation to the eye, which is communicated to another. There is an exception for certain privileged communications, such as those contained in answers to interrogatories, in affidavits, or judicial or legislative proceedings.

Under any of these definitions of defamation, slander, and libel, aren't there plenty of legal cases to be made against tRump/Bannon, McConnell/Ryan,  and other Republicans who stretch the truth to slander and libel opponents?  Aren't "alternative facts" defamation?

Doesn't Hillary have a case against tRump/kellyannspicer/fox/breatbart/Comey and the alt-right and alternative news sources who dehumanized and demonized her beyond recognition? Lied and made up stories? How about McConnell/Ryan obstructing president Obama and attacking him unmercifully for 8 years, and sitting on a Supreme Court nominee out of pure hatred and racism?

Are tRump's tweets and lies grounds for defamation and libel law suits?

Is deliberately undermining a candidate, as FBI Comey did at the end of the campaign, grounds for a defamation lawsuit?

How about the defamation of  a whole religious group identified in Trump's first executive order written by Bannon and Steve Miller, now in the Courts?

We are inundated with lies, damned lies, every day, compounded with the "alternative facts" and made up stories of the alt-right press and it's followers, including tRump. We have Jeffrey Lord and other tRump surrogates (who I can hardly name without cringing) on CNN and FOX spouting one deception after another. We have a guy in the White House who just kicked out some news media he didn't like from a press briefing, an attack on truth and freedom of the press.

We have lies propagated by Russia to interfere with and destabilize our election and in fact our government and our democracy.  It's actually similar to what Putin did in Crimea as he was preparing to invade and occupy Ukrainian land. Hr's gotten away with murder.

Aren't there grounds in any of these written and spoken words and actions for defamation suits?