MSNBC's Thompson Suggests Blackface Is A 'Crime' On Par With Rape: 'It's A Crime to Us As Black People'

"If it boils down to Justin Fairfax having to resign and the two blackface people don't, then those very same people will say, now wait a minute, that's sort of a double standard," Thompson said.

"But hold on a second--sexual assault is a crime, and blackface is awful, but it's not a crime," Ruhle said.

"Well, but the calls have been for them to resign too," Thompson replied.

"But those are two different things," Ruhle said.

"You have double victimization," Thompson went on. "You have [Fairfax's accuser Vanessa Tyson] as an African-American woman being victimized. Then you have an African-American elected official with an enormous black vote in Virginia, he has to pay a price nobody else does."

"Yeah, but he'd be paying a price for something different than what the other two would be paying for," Ruhle continued.

Thompson argued it was relevant that the "original crime" was committed by Northam, an apparent reference to the fact his yearbook photo was the first report to rock Virginia.

"It would be different … but the original crime was blackface on the part of Northam," Thompson said.

"Which is awful, but it's not a crime," Ruhle said.

"Well, it's a crime to us as black people," Thompson said.

"Okay, okay," Ruhle said, dropping the issue.