Gov. Andrew Cuomo holds a briefing Feb. 2 at his New York City office (Provided photo — Don Pollard, governor's office)

WATERTOWN — Every Republican member of Congress from New York signed onto a letter Wednesday asking the acting U.S. attorney general to immediately subpoena Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his team for all documents and communications related to the state’s COVID-19 nursing home policies.

This comes after state Attorney General Letitia James released a report last week detailing how Cuomo’s administration had underreported thousands of coronavirus-related deaths in state nursing homes by as much as 50%.

Just hours after James’ report was released, state Health Department officials released new data indicating 3,800, or about 40% more, nursing home residents had died from COVID-19 than was previously reported.

The increase did not alter New York’s coronavirus death count. Instead, it reassigned deaths previously counted toward a municipality to the nursing homes those people were residents of.

In the letter, addressed to acting U.S. Attorney General Robert “Monty” M. Wilkinson, the seven House Representatives argue that James’ report exposes how Cuomo and his staff “recklessly and knowingly” underreported deaths in nursing homes across the state after his decision in March of last year to require nursing homes to accept COVID-19 patients.

Letitia James speaks to the Watertown Daily Times editorial board in January this year. (Sydney Schaefer, Watertown Daily Times)

They request that Wilkinson issue subpoenas to Cuomo, Secretary to the Governor Melissa DeRosa, state Health Department Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker and staff for all three officials.

The Republican House Representatives in August of last year pushed for the U.S. Department of Justice, then controlled by Attorney General William Barr under former President Donald Trump, to investigate the state’s nursing home policy. In their letter, they also requested an “immediate and thorough” update on that probe.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, was a lead signer of Wednesday’s letter.

“It’s no surprise this QANON Trump puppet, her treason caucus, and their friends want to talk about anything other than the approaching one month anniversary of the Capitol insurrection that they helped foment and resulted in the death of a police officer,” Rich Azzopardi, senior advisor to the governor, said in a prepared statement Wednesday night. “It’s a naked ploy and New Yorkers see right through it. Maybe someone should investigate what she and the rest of the Trump enablers knew about the organizing and planning of this riot.”

The congresswoman has been a vocal critic of Cuomo throughout the pandemic, and has criticized him repeatedly over the state’s nursing home policies during the crisis.

Rep. Elise Stefanik gives a victory speech on election night, Nov. 3, 2020, at the Queensbury Hotel in Glens Falls. (Provided photo — Christopher Lenney, Watertown Daily Times)

“We will work to ensure that Acting Attorney General Wilkinson and President Biden support this pursuit for the truth about Governor Cuomo and his administration, considering the scathing evidence presented in Attorney General James’ recent report,” Stefanik said in a prepared statement. “Tens of thousands of innocent people in our great state died, and unlike the Governor, we care.”