The Atlanta lawyer quarantined with tuberculosis has told Congress that health officials told him that he "was not a threat to anyone" before he left for Europe.

Testifying by phone from the Denver hospital where he remains in isolation, Andrew Speaker said he didn't "go running off or hide from people."

Earlier today, federal and local health officials said Speaker left for Europe two days earlier than planned after he had been told he had a drug-resistant form of TB and should not travel.

Speaker says that is "a complete fallacy" and a "lie."

In Europe, Speaker disregarded instructions by the CDC to turn himself in to local health officials in Italy. Instead, he flew to Canada and then drove across the border into the U.S.

He told ABC's "Good Morning America" in a telephone interview aired today he understands that he and the hospital staff need to make sure people there are comfortable before he leaves his isolation room.

He also said he hopes he'll be able to move around more, now that a third test has turned up negative for the presence of T-B bacteria.

\he 31-year-old Speaker also said he's touched by the well wishes he's received from strangers.

"It's amazing to see so many people who don't know you show so much compassion," he said.

One of his doctors said yesterday that Speaker has a relatively low chance of spreading the disease.