It's less a lack of critical thinking and more an overabundance of cautious wording to avoid unnecessary offense.

I'm suggesting that this father may have engaged in nepotism once before, which makes me question his integrity. Not every father does that, so it's more relevant than just "of course, it's the dad".

I phrased it cautiously because I don't know the full story, but the pieces are there and I think it's worth pointing them out.