From Facing South, apparently indicted Rep. William Jefferson today issued a statement in which he asserted his innocence of the charges against him. When he got to explaining where the $90,000 in his freezer came from, though, he said something downright odd:

Did I bribe a foreign official? Absolutely not. The $90,000 was the FBI's money. The FBI gave it to me as part of their plan that I would give it to the Nigerian Vice President. But I did not do that. When all of the facts are understood, I trust I will be vindicated.

I... What? The Nigerian Vice President? I think I've received that spam before. But no, apparently there's a real connection of some sort there:

The impact of the [Jefferson bribery] case even has roiled presidential politics in Nigeria. According to court records, Jefferson told associates that he needed cash to pay bribes to the country's vice president, Atiku Abubakar.

Abubakar denied the allegations, which figured prominently in that country's presidential elections in April. Abubakar ran for the presidency and finished third.

In Lagos, Nigeria, Abubakar spokesman Garba Shehu said the former vice president "has always denied wrongdoing in the matter."

"He has only had official interaction with the congressman, who the vice president felt deserved a hearing because he was a ranking member of the U.S. Congress," Shehu said. "The vice president was in no way cited in this thing, so we feel vindicated."

Court records indicate that Jefferson was videotaped taking a $100,000 cash bribe from an FBI informant. Most of that money later turned up in a freezer in Jefferson's home.

What on earth is this all about? Is Jefferson really going to explain himself in court by claiming that these events were not bribery but simply Jefferson enacting an elaborate secret plan for the FBI?