She was not part of the conversation, thus she was not one of the "parties" involved. She recorded 2 people who did not consent. It was illegal.
You think if she was part of the conversation that the alleged "N" word would have been used? Of course not. Then she could have claimed that they said it in front of her, which she didn't. They only way she knew they used the "N" word was the recording, which she was not a part of.
It's a felony to do what she did. She should be sharing a prison cell with Clinton.
If she recorded a private conversation of others without consent, yes, that's a crime.