No. You are too charitable. She played that "nice old lady" role so well that people started to believe that shtick.
One can't be other than a hard-ass cutthroat if one is the matriarch of that mob. She's was the Ma Barker of the Bush Crime Family.
“She’s was the Ma Barker of the Bush Crime Family”.
Ha! I just got done watching a documentary on Ma Barker.
Very good comparison.