Biden's reluctance to hold Trump accountable will likely backfire -- here's why

The Biden administration is sending strong signals that it doesn't intend to fully investigate Donald Trump's corruption.

Democrats are reportedly pessimistic that President Joe Biden's administration will release key documents that could implicate his predecessor in various nefarious acts, and the Washington Post's Greg Sargent says that's unacceptable.

"You'll be hearing a key excuse a lot: We need to restore normalcy," Sargent wrote. "It's a terrible excuse. And we shouldn't stand for it."

On the contrary, Sargent argued, hiding evidence of Trump's misdeeds will normalize his behavior.

"The opposite is true: Lack of transparency will help prevent a restoration of normalcy," Sargent wrote. "That is, it will help prevent a restoration of normalcy we should actually value."

The Justice Department is resisting pressure to release a legal memo justifying former attorney general William Barr's decision not to charge Trump with obstructing Robert Mueller's probe, and the Internal Revenue Service still won't release the former president's tax returns -- as Senate Republicans voted to block a commission to examine the Jan. 6 insurrection.

"There is no way to restore the sort of normalcy we should value other than to have the fullest accounting possible across the board," Sargent wrote. "Normalcy without transparency and accountability is not worthy of the name."