After investigating charges first raised by Matt Drudge that John McCain played favorites with a certain lobbyist, WaPo reporter Howard Kurtz has labeled Drudge an “Internet gossip.”

Drudge first reported the New York Times investigation into the McCain matter on Thursday.

“The Times inquiry burst into public view when the Drudge Report Web site posted an item about the newspaper’s probe,” Kurtz reports in the Friday edition of the Washington Post. “Internet gossip Matt Drudge has occasionally served as a conduit for allegations that news organizations are investigating but have not yet published.”

Before Kurtz released his book, Reality Show, in October, one of the first place excerpts from the book appeared was on the Drudge Report. Drudge also links to the online version of Kurtz’ latest column.