Asking the “right” open ended questions seems pretty powerful in leading someone astray.
It is somewhat more difficult than leading them the right way. Also, you may start the habit of thinking, which may continue after you stop asking the questions, so it no longer goes in a direction you control.
But yes, it is a question of degree. You can mislead people by:
bringing their attention to some things (privileging a hypothesis), and simultaneously taking it away from other things (because attention is a limited resource);
leveraging their existing incorrect beliefs to make them conclude wrong things even from correct data (rather than examine those beliefs);
and of course, it is never just asking questions, but also subtly making assumptions, etc.
It is somewhat more difficult than leading them the right way. Also, you may start the habit of thinking, which may continue after you stop asking the questions, so it no longer goes in a direction you control.
But yes, it is a question of degree. You can mislead people by:
bringing their attention to some things (privileging a hypothesis), and simultaneously taking it away from other things (because attention is a limited resource);
leveraging their existing incorrect beliefs to make them conclude wrong things even from correct data (rather than examine those beliefs);
and of course, it is never just asking questions, but also subtly making assumptions, etc.