diff --git a/src/com/google/javascript/jscomp/PeepholeRemoveDeadCode.java b/src/com/google/javascript/jscomp/PeepholeRemoveDeadCode.java
index d7443806534..40b044c57a7 100644
--- a/src/com/google/javascript/jscomp/PeepholeRemoveDeadCode.java
+++ b/src/com/google/javascript/jscomp/PeepholeRemoveDeadCode.java
@@ -58,7 +58,10 @@ Node optimizeSubtree(Node subtree) {
       case IF:
         return tryFoldIf(subtree);
       case WHILE:
-        throw checkNormalization(false, "WHILE");
+        // This pass gets run both before and after denormalize. Hence, the AST could potentially
+        // contain WHILE (denormalized).
+        // TODO: Ideally, we should optimize this case instead of returning
+        return subtree;
       case FOR:
         {
           Node condition = NodeUtil.getConditionExpression(subtree);
@@ -787,7 +790,6 @@ Node tryOptimizeBlock(Node n) {
     for (Node c = n.getFirstChild(); c != null; ) {
       Node next = c.getNext();  // save c.next, since 'c' may be removed
       if (!isUnremovableNode(c) && !mayHaveSideEffects(c)) {
-        checkNormalization(!NodeUtil.isFunctionDeclaration(n), "function declaration");
         // TODO(johnlenz): determine what this is actually removing. Candidates
         //    include: EMPTY nodes, control structures without children
         //    (removing infinite loops), empty try blocks.  What else?
@@ -1377,10 +1379,4 @@ private Node tryRemoveOptionalCall(Node optionalCall) {
     this.reportChangeToEnclosingScope(result);
     return result;
   }
-
-  private static @Nullable IllegalStateException checkNormalization(
-      boolean condition, String feature) {
-    checkState(condition, "Unexpected %s. AST should be normalized.", feature);
-    return null;
-  }
 }
diff --git a/test/com/google/javascript/jscomp/PeepholeRemoveDeadCodeTest.java b/test/com/google/javascript/jscomp/PeepholeRemoveDeadCodeTest.java
index 0dda981eace..d661232a230 100644
--- a/test/com/google/javascript/jscomp/PeepholeRemoveDeadCodeTest.java
+++ b/test/com/google/javascript/jscomp/PeepholeRemoveDeadCodeTest.java
@@ -55,6 +55,9 @@ public void process(Node externs, Node root) {
   @Before
   public void setUp() throws Exception {
     super.setUp();
+    // This pass doesn't need the AST to be normalized as it runs both before and after
+    // `denormalize`. Since it runs PureFunctionsIdentifier pass which expects the AST to be
+    // normalized, we're doing `enableNormalize` for these tests.
     enableNormalize();
     // TODO(bradfordcsmith): Stop normalizing the expected output or document why it is necessary.
     enableNormalizeExpectedOutput();