Harvey Weinstein Says New York Times Screwed Him and Justin Baldoni

8:55 AM PT -- A spokesperson for The New York Times tells TMZ ... "Our comprehensive investigation into the allegations of sexual harassment and abuse against Mr. Weinstein was rigorously reported over many months and based on on-the-record interviews, legal settlements paid to accusers and other documents. None of the facts in our coverage are in dispute. Mr. Weinstein acknowledged his misconduct in a statement that was published in full in The Times. He's since been criminally convicted of rape and sexual assault."

Harvey Weinstein is inserting himself into the Justin Baldoni-Blake Lively legal battle ... and blasting the New York Times for allegedly doing the same thing to him that the paper of record did to Baldoni.

The jailed Hollywood producer issued a scathing statement to TMZ about the NYT's role in the bitter legal fight between Justin and Blake over their 2024 movie, "It Ends with Us."

As you know, Blake and Justin starred in the film and Justin directed it, but it ended with both filing lawsuits against each other -- Blake accused Justin of sexual harassment and smearing her name ... Justin accused Blake and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, of waging their own smear campaign to destroy his reputation.

In his $400 million suit, Baldoni also claimed the NYT "cherry-picked" details and altered key communications to "deliberately" mislead readers.

And that's exactly what Weinstein says the NYT did to him when their journalists reported on allegations of sexual harassment and sexual assault by numerous accusers who came forward during the 2017 #MeToo movement.

Worth noting ... Weinstein had nothing to do with the production of "It Ends with Us."

In his statement to TMZ, Weinstein unloads on the NYT, telling us, “Watching Justin Baldoni take legal action against The New York Times and its reporters — accusing them of manipulating communications and ignoring evidence that countered Ms. Lively’s claims — hit me hard."

Weinstein continues, "It brought back everything I experienced when The Times reported on me in 2017. They did the same thing: cherry-picked what fit their story and ignored critical context and facts that could have challenged the narrative."

Weinstein went on ... "I should have stood up and fought back then. I should have had the courage to speak out against the way the truth was twisted. That failure still haunts me. I’ll be watching this case closely — it matters to anyone who’s ever been on the receiving end of a media takedown, and even more to someone who's had to pay a high legal price.”

As you know, Weinstein was convicted in L.A. and NYC for rape and other sex offenses. Interestingly, Megan Twohey is one of the bylines on the NYT's original Baldoni-Lively article -- and she reported extensively about Weinstein's sex crimes.

Weinstein is currently being held on Rikers Island, awaiting retrial for his NYC conviction after he won his appeal, but the Manhattan D.A. refiled the case.

We've reached out to the New York Times' director of communications, as well as Megan Twohey herself ... so far, no word back.