Why withhold so many documents if there’s nothing to hide?

Former president Donald Trump speaks to supporters during a rally at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines on Oct. 9. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

Regarding the Oct. 31 news article “Trump seeks to block nearly 800 pages of records from Jan. 6 committee”:

If former president Donald Trump doesn’t have anything to hide, why is he withholding 800 pages of documents from the House bipartisan committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection? If it’s an “illegal fishing expedition,” per his description, perhaps he’s afraid that the committee will hook onto something damaging to his case. 

The most worrisome aspect of his threat to shield the truth from the committee is that our government must have an effective “checks and balances system” if our democracy is going to survive.

Joanne Doyle, Salisbury, Md.