Washington — Maryland Congressman Steny Hoyer, the second-highest ranking Democrat in the House, said lawmakers in Congress have a constitutional responsibility to continue the intensifying impeachment inquiry into President Trump — regardless of the potential political fallout his party may face.

"This is not a calculation about whether this is good for us politically or bad for us politically," Hoyer said on "Face the Nation" on Sunday.

Hoyer conceded that the impeachment drive — as well as potential articles of impeachment against Mr. Trump — "may well" have political ramifications for Democrats. But he suggested it is a price his party is willing to pay.

"But we have a duty. We have a duty to the country, to the American people, and to the Constitution of the United States," he said.

For weeks, Democratic-led committees in the House have arranged close-door hearings with current and former Trump administration officials familiar with efforts by Mr. Trump and his allies to enlist the help of the Ukrainian government in digging up dirt on political rivals, including former Vice President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter.

On Thursday, the House voted to formalize the impeachment inquiry that Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced in September.

Unlike California Congresswoman Jackie Speier, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, Hoyer would not offer a specific timeframe for public hearings, which were authorized through the resolution on Thursday. Speier said earlier on "Face the Nation" that they could start to take place next week.

"Time is not constraining us," Hoyer said. "The truth and the facts are constraining us. We are going to move as soon as the facts and the truth dictate that we have."