CNN’s Banfield: I’m White, So I Can’t Say If Dolezal Pretending To Be Black Is Offensive

CNN “Legal View” host Ashleigh Banfield said that “because I’m white,” she couldn’t say if former Spokane NAACP head Rachel Dolezal pretending to be black is offensive on Monday.

Banfield asked, “Is there some kind of an offense or is it admiration? I mean some people could look at it as though she has immense admiration and wants more to be like that.”

While Banfield seemed to agree with defense attorney Midwin Charles that Dolezal is “a pathological liar” she continued, “Beyond that though, is it offensive? I mean, that’s the question for me. I can’t answer it because I’m white. I don’t know if it’s offensive if someone were pretending to be white and I want to know if it’s offensive if a white woman is pretending to be a black woman.”

Charles responded that she doesn’t “offend easily,” and that while she isn’t necessarily offended by “someone going through a racial identity crisis,” she is bothered by the prospect that Dolezal took opportunities away from African-American women.

Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett