When Mr. Barr first used the word “spying” in congressional testimony last month, he later backpedaled somewhat during the hearing, saying that he just wanted to know whether surveillance done as part of the investigation had a proper basis and that he “was not suggesting” that rules were violated.

In the same way, after raising the possibility to Fox News in the interview that aired Friday that law enforcement and intelligence officials may have been trying to sabotage Mr. Trump for political reasons, Mr. Barr added that he was just asking questions.

“If we’re worried about foreign influence, for the very same reason we should be worried about whether government officials abuse their power and put their thumb on the scale,” he said. “And so I’m not saying that happened, but it’s something we have to look at.”

His caveat did not prevent alarming headlines across the conservative news media.

Mr. Barr may not have intended to be as inflammatory as those conclusions, said James A. Baker, a former F.B.I. general counsel who helped oversee the early stages of the Russia investigation, and who previously worked for Mr. Barr at Verizon.

“He is a very careful lawyer and he words things very precisely,” he said. “If you read those precise words, they are less alarming than people have assessed them to be. He is, however, saying things that can be easily misconstrued and apparently are being misconstrued, and any attorney general needs to be mindful of the fact that he or she need to maintain credibility with, and the trust of, all Americans.”