US secretary of state Mike Pompeo launched an extraordinary attack on a respected NPR journalist on Saturday, a day after reports emerged of him swearing at and trying to humiliate her by asking her to identify Ukraine on a map.

In a sharply-worded statement issued by the state department, Pompeo accused the reporter, Mary Louise Kelly, of lying to him and being part of an “unhinged” media conspiracy “in a quest to hurt President Trump and this administration”.

The bizarre final line of the brief statement – “It is worth noting that Bangladesh is NOT Ukraine” – appears to suggest that Pompeo believes Kelly identified a different country when he asked her to point out Ukraine on an unmarked map produced by aides.

The claim contradicts the experienced foreign correspondent and radio host’s own recollection of the encounter, in which she said she had no trouble identifying Ukraine, after which Pompeo put the map away and insisted: “People will hear about this.”

The release of the statement further suggests that the politician, who has a notoriously short fuse, was stung by media coverage of the aftermath of his interview with Kelly, which ended prematurely when Pompeo refused to answer questions about Ukraine.

Kelly said Pompeo then called her into a separate room and attempted to browbeat her, asking “Do you think Americans care about Ukraine?” and launching into a foul-mouthed tirade.

The state department statement, however, seeks to shift blame to Kelly.

“It is shameful that this reporter chose to violate the basic rules of journalism and decency,” it said, claiming Kelly had lied to Pompeo twice, first in setting up the interview and secondly by breaching an apparent agreement to keep the contents of the post-interview conversation off the record.

“It is no wonder the American people distrust many in the media when they consistently demonstrate their agenda and their absence of integrity,” it read.

NPR has stood by its reporter. “Pompeo proceeded to shout his displeasure at being questioned about Ukraine,” the organization said in a statement. “He used repeated expletives.”

In an interview with NPR on Friday, Kelly said Pompeo had shouted at her “for about the same amount of time as the interview itself”.

In response to Pompeo’s statement NPR’s senior vice-president for news, Nancy Barnes, said: “Mary Louise Kelly has always conducted herself with the utmost integrity, and we stand behind this report.”