It is, whether he intends to be racist or not. Beyond being easily interpreted as a low-effort 13% joke, the premise is false.
Make no mistake, Steele fooled a lot of people, myself included. I don't think he's shielding Fani because she's black - to her, he's already a turncoat for not 100% supporting Dems. There's nothing for him to gain except for more compensation from the network.
He, like every other establishment sellout, is so focused on trying to get Trump that they're prepared to excuse a little malfeasance so the low-information voters who rely on CNN/MSNBC can excuse it as well.
Good post that cuts through the ignorance and makes a reasoned argument - thanks!