[Observator]

As such, I thought going in that everyone would be taking shots at him. They didn’t, which means they either purposefully didn’t want him to be able to rebut anything, or they simply couldn’t think of anything of substance with which to attack.

The author didn't consider a third (and more probable) possibility - that the other candidates aren't worried about him and ignored him. DeSantos is on a steady downward trajectory - why mess with that momentum?

[Lisbon1940]

He was primed to hit back but nobody took a swing at him.