US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused a reporter for the National Radio Station of lying to him and violating the "basic rules of journalism and fitness" after she said Pompeo had repeatedly insulted her after an intense interview.

In a highly unusual statement, Pompeo on Saturday criticized the National Public Radio and its correspondent Marie-Louise Kelly, accusing them of lying to him on the topic of the interview and engaging in a hostile public dialogue following his appearance on the air.

"It is no wonder that the American people do not trust many media outlets when they always show their agenda and lack of integrity," Pompeo said in an aggressive statement on the home page of the State Department official website.

The station's correspondent, Marie-Louis Kelly, said on Friday that Pompeo had insulted her and repeatedly used an offensive word during a sharp criticism after she asked him about Ukraine and the US ambassador to Kiev in a nine-minute interview.

Pompeo said in a statement that Kelly lied to him twice the first time when preparing for the interview and then lied to him again when agreeing to conduct a dialogue after the interview is not for publication.

He added, "It is a shame that this reporter chooses to violate the basic rules of journalism and fitness. This is another example that shows how the press has become unbalanced in its quest to harm President Donald Trump and his administration.

"It is not surprising that the American people do not trust many in the media when they constantly show their agenda and their dishonesty."

The dispute is centered on Kelly's live interview with Pompeo, during which she asked him about Iran and the US ambassador to Ukraine Mary Jovanovich who was sacked by Trump in May.

Pompeo said he only agreed to take up the Iran issue during the interview. After that, Kelly told the national radio station that he screamed and insulted her repeatedly. She added that he asked his aides to bring a map of the world unmarked and asked Kelly to locate Ukraine, which she did.

Kelly said Pompeo's aides did not stipulate that the meeting after the interview was not for publication. "The same employee who stopped the interview appeared again and asked me to take her only me without a tape recorder ... even though she didn't tell me that the speech was not valid for publication, and I didn't agree to that," she said.

The Secretary of State's statement drew a swift condemnation from top Democrats in the US Senate, who criticized the "insulting comments and contempt" that they said were not worthy of his office.

In a speech to four top Democrats, including Bob Mendes, a prominent member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, lawmakers said Pompeo had to deal more respectfully with "tough questions rather than not answering them."