Matt Drudge’s little news aggregation site that could has turned into quite the powerhouse on the web. Begun in 1997, it attained huge notoriety in 1998 when it was the first to report on the Lewinsky scandal. As big as it has gotten, the one thing that has remained constant is the small size of the staff that works on the site.

Last year, Washington Times White House correspondent Joe Curl came aboard the Drudge ship as an editor. It is now being reported that Matt Drudge is bringing his second Washington Times member to the team.

Charles Hurt, who also worked as D.C. bureau chief for the New York Post is now a part of the Drudge Report. He left his job at the Post about 3 months ago.

Although the Drudge Report takes its stories from a wide range of sources, spanning liberal to conservative, it is common knowledge that the Drudge Report leans to the right. Matt Drudge himself is openly conservative, although he describes his views more as “populist.” Considering the conservative slant from the Drudge Report, Charles Hurt seems like a logical fit.

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Some of his last few articles with the Washignton Times have been titled “Reports Continue to be Snookered by Obama,” “Obama Squanders America’s Legacy” and “Obama really not shy about spiking the ball.”

The Drudge Report is a force, now matter if you agree with the politics or not. “Every Republican primary voter has The Drudge Report bookmarked on their internet browser,” said Ron Bonjean, a Republican political consultant to The Huffington Post.

It’s most likely not just Republican voters though, as a recent Pew study found that the Drudge Report sends more traffic to news sites than Facebook and Twitter. And in April, Internet Evolution released their list of the most influential people on the web. Drudge finished 5th in the news media section, just behind Jim Walton, president of CNN Worldwide.

The addition of veteran political columnists can only benefit an already powerful entity on the web, especially as we head into election season.

Hurt photo courtesy.