Noah Berlatsky is the author of "Nazi Dreams: Films about Fascism." The views expressed here are solely the author's. View more opinion articles on CNN.

(CNN) Over the last two years, Arizona Senator Jeff Flake has been the craggy, hapless, equivocating face of Never Trump Republicans. He has repeatedly declared that "There are times when you have to stand up and say, 'I'm sorry, this is wrong,'" Yet when it comes to actually taking action to rein in President Donald Trump -- by, for example, demanding that the Senate pass resolutions to protect the Mueller investigation -- Flake has done nothing.

Noah Berlatsky

But today, finally, he did something. After agreeing to vote Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh out of the Judiciary Committee, Flake added a caveat. He asked for a week-long FBI investigation into outstanding allegations against Brett Kavanaugh before he would guarantee to vote yes on the nominee on the Senate floor. Trump has now ordered the FBI to conduct a supplemental investigation to "update Judge Kavanaugh's file," as he said in a statement, and the Senate vote has been delayed.

Many will say that Flake should have done more. And he certainly should have. Multiple women have accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault; in his testimony he lied repeatedly, insulted senators, spewed conspiracy theories, and generally showed himself unfit to be on the court. Flake hasn't even promised to vote "no" if Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell decides to hold a vote immediately. He's done the bare minimum to even approach decency. Kavanaugh may still end up on the court; Flake may still vote for him.

Still, the bare minimum is, by definition, slightly more than nothing. And it's worth remembering that Flake has done slightly more than nothing a couple of times in the past too -- especially when faced with issues of sexual violence and assault. When Alabama Republican Senate nominee Roy Moore was accused by a series of women of sexually assaulting them when they were underage, Flake didn't just denounce him. He became the only prominent Republican to openly endorse Moore's opponent, Doug Jones. He even contributed to Jones' campaign.

JUST WATCHED Former FBI official on why this probe might be bad for Kavanaugh Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Former FBI official on why this probe might be bad for Kavanaugh 04:18

Similarly, when Christine Blasey Ford came forward to say that Kavanaugh had assaulted her at a party when he was 17 and she was 15, Flake took meaningful action. He insisted that the Judiciary Committee, on which he is a Republican swing vote, should hear her testimony. That's a major reason why there were hearings. Without Flake, Kavanaugh would probably already be on the court.

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