Roy S. Moore seemed to be squirming as the interviewer dug in.

Did he recall dating girls as young as 17? “Not generally, no,” Mr. Moore, the embattled Republican Senate nominee in Alabama, replied haltingly. So why had The Washington Post found numerous people who said otherwise? “You understand this was 40 years ago,” Mr. Moore replied, “and after my return from the military, I dated a lot of young ladies.”

Sean Hannity, who conducted the interview for his syndicated radio show on Friday, seemed unsure about how to proceed on his Fox News show later that night. “What if, in fact, he was just inarticulate?” the host asked, after starting things off with a replay of his interview with Mr. Moore. “Throwing it out. Devil’s advocate.”

Mr. Hannity rarely extends this kind of generosity to the usual, liberal-leaning targets of his hit prime time show, which, since moving to 9 p.m. this fall, has reclaimed the No. 1 spot in cable news.

But his handling of Mr. Moore — tough questions, followed by the benefit of the doubt — reflects a moment of uncertainty for the conservative media, as it confronts deep divisions within the American political right.