Pelosi open to letting impeachment drag into 2020 — if the public stays interested

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) expressed an openness to letting the impeachment fight stretch into the 2020 election year, as long as the public remains engaged.

The California Democrat expects the House impeachment inquiry to begin holding public hearings this month, but said there's no deadline imposed on wrapping up the investigation, reported Bloomberg.

Pelosi defended the party-line vote to formally initiate the impeachment process, which she argued was unnecessary, but said closed-door depositions would continue as long as they remained productive.

“I don’t know what the timetable will be -- the truth will set us free,” Pelosi told the website. “We have not made any decisions on if the president will be impeached.”

President Donald Trump has warned that impeachment could hurt the economy, but Pelosi said the markets would not be a consideration in the process.

“The markets have their own strength and their resilience,” she said.

The House could vote on articles of impeachment before the end of the year, but Pelosi said she's open to letting the process extend into the election year if new investigative leads opened up -- and the public wasn't exhausted.

“There is -- I should say -- a mountain of concerns to be brought up,” Pelosi said. “When does the law of diminished returns set in?”