Crossword Genius

Mock crazy American politician being detained (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

lampoon

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'mock' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'crazy american politician being detained' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'american' could be 'am' (abbreviation in some contexts) and 'am' is located in the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for lampoon that I've seen before include "Pool man (anag)" , "Ridicule in writing or verse" , "Parody" , "Burlesque" , "Satirise, ridicule" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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