The Post has the play-by-play on the trial of Rep. William Jefferson.

[Defense Attorney Robert] Trout told the jury that the money in the freezer had received so much publicity that he contemplated opening his statement with “a joke about the cold cash.”

Instead, he offered this explanation: “He was looking to hide the cash . . . so it would not be found by the housekeeper or an intruder.”

He said Jefferson is the victim of an FBI sting. “They set out to bag a congressman,” Trout said.